Bedard looking ahead after memorable NHL debut with Blackhawks

PITTSBURGH -- Connor Bedard stood before another crowd of reporters Tuesday night when he was asked if, to some degree, given all the buildup, it was nice to get his NHL debut out of the way.

He said in some ways, yes, but in some ways, no.

“Obviously, it’s a moment you think of your whole life, and now it’s past, just like that,” he said. “That part of it’s sad.”

Bedard is not a normal 18-year-old. The Chicago Blackhawks center has uncommon maturity for his age and incredible skill for any age.

The No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft wasn’t intimidated by the moment. He rose to it, enjoyed it, savored it, and he earned his first NHL point, an assist, in a 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

“He didn’t look like a young kid trying to find the game,” teammate Jason Dickinson said. “He was controlling the puck really well. He was making plays. He obviously got an assist tonight, so I think he’s looking really good.”

The NHL scheduled the Blackhawks to play the Penguins on national television on opening night on purpose. Bedard is billed as the League’s next generational player. His childhood hero was Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who’s still elite at age 36.

“There was a real interest in seeing Connor Bedard on the first night of the season go against Sidney Crosby,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said.

ESPN began hyping this game at the NHL North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas last month, sitting Bedard and Crosby together in full uniform for a conversation in front of the cameras.

Bedard did interview after interview through training camp and the preseason. After years in the spotlight as a young phenom, he was used to it. He handled everything as if he were a veteran superstar.

“It’s been really impressive to watch,” Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson said.

After the morning skate Tuesday, Bedard walked into a room packed with reporters and talked about trying to go through his normal routine. For him, this was his normal routine. He said he had been nervous Monday, but he slept like a baby and felt fine.

“Tonight,” he said, “I’m sure there’ll be some butterflies.”

It looked like Bedard was so nervous before warmups he forgot his stick. ESPN showed him walking down the hall, then retreating to the stick rack. But truth was, he had left a stick upside down against the wall in the hall, because he has a superstition about no one touching it and the blade staying off the ground. He ended up grabbing another one.

He was ready for his close-up. He and fellow rookie Kevin Korchinski took their rookie lap together without helmets, taking the ice ahead of their teammates. Korchinski set him up with an open net -- and he missed it.

“I remember me and Kev had that little pass, and I totally whiffed it, so probably get trolled a bit online,” he said. “It was fun. It was pretty cool. Getting to go no bucket was fun too. Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot.”

Bedard did puck tricks throughout warmups. At one point, he stood in the corner, and Iceburgh, the Penguins mascot, stood behind the glass taunting him. Veteran Corey Perry had Bedard’s back, slamming himself against the glass.

That was just the tip of the iceberg.

Bedard lined up for the opening face-off against Crosby.

“Hey, Sid, welcome back for another season,” referee Kelly Sutherland said, wearing a microphone for television. “Connor, welcome to the NHL, man.”

“Thank you,” Bedard said.

“OK, guys,” Sutherland said. “It’s showtime. Let’s have a great game.”

Crosby won the draw back with authority.

“I just wanted to win it,” Bedard said. “Obviously didn’t. But just going into it, yeah, I mean, it was really cool, really special. Trying to take it in, but in the end, you’re focused on the hockey game. There’s nerves, of course. It’s a pretty big moment in your life. But yeah, just trying to settle in and focus on that.”

Bedard went 2-for-13 on face-offs. But that was maybe his only issue. In 21:29 of ice time, playing often against the likes of Crosby and star center Evgeni Malkin, he had five shots on goal and multiple scoring chances. Chicago controlled 68.75 percent of the shot attempts when he was on the ice.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” he said.

Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch him. The Blackhawks play the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT).

“There’s a ton of pressure that’s been put on him,” Dickinson said. “It doesn’t seem to faze him. It doesn’t seem to even hit him. I heard him talk about it the other day. I thought he had a great response where he said, ‘I’m just playing the game I love."