Blackhawks' Connor Bedard shares true feelings about upcoming NHL Winter Classic debut

12/30/2024 08:09 PM

The Chicago Blackhawks are once again preparing to play in the NHL’s annual Winter Classic, and for the second time, the event will be played at historic Wrigley Field on the north side of Chicago.

The iconic venue has served as the home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs for over 100 years now and is hosting the Winter Classic for the first time since January 1, 2009, a 6-4 victory by the Detroit Red Wings over the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks are hosting the St. Louis Blues at 5:00 PM EST on Tuesday, and it’s an event that Bedard is already thrilled to take part in, via X.

“It’s one of the coolest experiences of my life so far, and the game hasn’t even started yet,” he said.

Tuesday will mark Chicago’s NHL-leading seventh outdoor game, and their first since the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana against the Boston Bruins.

Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard gets honest about his recent struggles

Bedard experienced the dreaded sophomore slump, scoring only three goals in his first 21 games of the season. But he’s rebounded with 17 points in his last 16 games and compared it to being a golfer going through a rough patch, via NHL.com.

"I like to think of it as when a golfer plays like (crap)," Bedard said with a laugh. "They're not hitting the ball. They've done it their whole life. You go out there, your hands don't feel right, you're tired or whatever. It's a weird thing.

"For me, it was just playing my way out of those stretches. Obviously, it's not the first or last time you're not going to feel like yourself. It's just playing yourself out of those stretches and trying to get better in other areas. From the defensive aspect, I think I have improved a little bit with that. So just trying to take as much as you can out of those times."

Bedard now has 10 goals and 22 assists in 37 games in 2024-25.

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