TORONTO — A jaw injury couldn’t keep Blackhawks center Connor Bedard away from NHL All-Star Weekend, even if it cost him his spot on the roster.
The Hawks’ star rookie snuck into Toronto on Thursday night and made a surprise cameo Friday night as a guest passer in the one-timer shooting portion of the All-Star skills competition.
The crowd at Scotiabank Arena was far more engaged than last year’s crowd in Sunrise, Florida — partially because this year’s event was more organized and faster-paced — and roared when Bedard was unexpectedly announced.
Bedard set up one-timers for the three right-handed shooters: Islanders forward Mathew Barzal (a longtime friend from growing up in the Vancouver area), Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and Bruins forward David Pastrnak. MacKinnon and Pastrnak ended up with the two highest scores.
Penguins star Sidney Crosby was the other guest passer, setting up Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and Canucks forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.
The Hawks didn’t make Bedard available to speak with reporters after his appearance.
On Friday morning, Bedard also accepted an award as the International Ice Hockey Federation’s 2023 Male Athlete of the Year, posing for cameras as if his jaw hadn’t been fractured less than a month ago. He remains several weeks from returning to action; his original recovery timeline of six to eight weeks suggests Feb. 19 at Carolina would be his earliest possible return date, although he has been skating for several weeks, with significant progress.
Connor Bedard is in Toronto this weekend. Make of that what you will.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 2, 2024
He accepted his award as IIHF Male Athlete of the Year this morning: pic.twitter.com/9bzwb8g55L
The timing of his return could make a big difference in ticket sales and revenue, considering 10 of the Hawks’ next 11 games (through March 2) are at home, including a much-anticipated game against the Red Wings on Feb. 25 that also will feature Chris Chelios’ jersey retirement and Patrick Kane’s return to Chicago. The Hawks expect some of their lightest crowds of the season for the first few games in that stretch, but that will change as soon as Bedard steps back onto the ice.
In the Calder Trophy race for the league’s top rookie, Bedard still leads all rookies in scoring — at least for the moment. He has 33 points in 39 games, ahead of Wild defenseman Brock Faber (29 points in 49 games), Wild forward Marco Rossi (28 points in 49 games) and Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli (27 points in 49 games). Fantilli was just ruled out for eight weeks with a lacerated calf muscle, but the Wild duo could pass Bedard before he returns. He’d have a good chance to pass them back, however, if he produces at the same pace as before.
It would be huge for the Hawks if he does, considering how horrendous they have been offensively without him.
But those are topics for a future day. This weekend, it’s simply nice the 18-year-old was able to participate in some capacity.
