The 17-year-old forward with Regina of the Western Hockey League, and projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft, had a bit of a home-ice advantage. He grew up about 30 minutes away in North Vancouver.
"I'll have a good amount of people there," Bedard said before the game. "I think some relatives. Obviously, my sister, my parents and some buddies for sure. I should have a decent crowd."
Tom Bedard, Connor's father, was relishing the rare chance to see his son in person; Regina is a 20-hour drive.
"My wife (Melanie) actually is in Regina with Connor, so she gets to go to a few more games," Tom said. "I get out five or six times a year but it's difficult. It's nice to have things close to home."
It was a good show for family and friends. Bedard had a game-high six shots on goal for Team Red in a 4-2 loss to Team White.
The only people watching Bedard as closely as his family was the opposition.
"Keeping him off the scoreboard, that was kind of a team goal," Team White goalie Scott Ratzlaff said. "Just making sure he's always covered, making sure we've got eyes on him. It was good."
There was a fair amount of physical play aimed at Bedard, including Team White defenseman Lukas Dragicevic taking a cross-checking penalty against him 20 seconds into the first period. Bedard also had a game-long, trash-talking conversation with Team White defenseman Oliver Bonk.
The frustration led to Bedard taking a penalty for cross-checking Bonk at 16:30 of the third. Bonk said the back-and-forth wasn't anything malicious, more about the respect for Bedard's ability to take over a game.
"He's the best 2005-born player**
