LAS VEGAS — Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard, hockey’s most hyped and anticipated rookie in years, has received the honor he always seemed destined to receive.
Bedard held the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year Thursday at the league’s annual awards show, beating out fellow finalists Brock Faber and Luke Hughes.
“There’s a lot of people who go into it,” Bedard said. “Obviously it’s an individual award, but it’s cool to celebrate it with your teammates and family, just with the help they’ve put toward it.”
Bedard is the 10th Hawk to win the Calder, joining Artemi Panarin (2016), Patrick Kane (2008), Ed Belfour (1991), Steve Larmer (1983), Tony Esposito (1970), Bill Hay (1960), Ed Litzenberger (1955), Cully Dahlstrom (1938) and Mike Karakas (1936).
He’s also the youngest Hawk ever to do so, since he won’t even turn 19 until next month. Comedian Matt Friend, who hosted the event, scripted an entire bit off of the fact he can’t legally drink.
Besides the Calder, Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon took home his first Hart Trophy as league MVP and also received the Ted Lindsay Award. Canucks star Quinn Hughes received the Norris Trophy as the season’s best defenseman and Jets backstop Connor Hellebuyck earned the Vezina Trophy as the season’s best netminder.
The fact Bedard tallied 61 points in 68 games this past season was particularly impressive because the Hawks lineup around him so direly lacked talent. He handily led all rookies league-wide in not only points but also goals (22), assists (39), power-play points (21), shots on goal (206) and virtually every other offensive statistic.
Points-wise, it was the fourth-best season by a Hawks teenager of all time, trailing only Eddie Olczyk, Denis Savard and Kane.
The fact Bedard missed 14 games with a broken jaw in January and February — at the same time as Faber, the 21-year-old Wild defenseman, played his very best hockey — briefly called into question his status as the Calder favorite.
But that uncertainty didn’t last long, and the final tallies weren’t that close. Bedard received 152 first-place votes to Faber’s 42 in voting conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Bedard praised Faber’s “all-around game” but said they never chatted about being pitted against each other in this category. In fact, more than anything, Bedard seemed relieved to be officially finished with his rookie season and all of the attention that surrounded it. Given his low-key personality, that wasn’t surprising.
“It’s obviously a special year, achieving a lifelong dream of playing in the NHL,” he said. “But then you just want to be with the rest of the pack. I don’t want, every time I score a goal, [for it to be] a big deal because I’m the youngest kid.
"[It’s nice] having that behind you and getting to move forward... I feel like I’ve learned a lot from last year. Hopefully [I can] take that into next season.”
Since competing for Canada at the IIHF World Championships after the Hawks’ season ended, Bedard has mostly spent the summer so far back at home in the Vancouver area, enjoying the relative lack of hullabaloo compared to this time last year — when he was preparing to be the No. 1 overall pick.
He will stick around in Las Vegas for the draft Friday and Saturday — to find out whom the Hawks select and where personal friends like former Regina Pats teammate Tanner Howe land — but he’ll appreciate being out of the spotlight this time.
“It’s kind of nice, honestly, [to be] just chilling,” Bedard said with a grin. "[I’m] excited to see everyone get picked. I remember how special the moment was for me. To have other people live that out, it’s great.”
