As the NHL attempts to reposition itself in the American sports sector, the arrival of Connor Bedard was a golden opportunity to begin branding the sport of hockey as a star-studded affair.
The league already had the likes of Nathan MacKinnin, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov, Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Hughes. Legends like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane laced up this season, too. And of course, Connor McDavid, the greatest hockey player in the world, was coming off his third Hart Trophy-winning season at the age of 26. The future of the sport had never been in better hands.
But still, something was off. The league needed a face. It was far too late to put Crosby or Ovechkin at the forefront of a modern marketing campaign. McDavid is stuck up North in Edmonton on a team that can barely break the Western Conference Semifinals. And the rest might not even be recognized on the street in most major U.S. cities.
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All this to say, the NHL needed a main character.
No matter how crass it may seem to put an 18-year-old on display like a shiny object, everyone knew Bedard was the ticket to reaching a larger, younger audience.
What they didn't know was how it was going to play out. Dubbed "the future of hockey" at age 13 and the greatest prospect since McDavid, the comically grand expectations seemed impossible for any human to meet.
But on an international stage with a camera and reporters in his face at every turn, he has actually surpassed them.
Blackhawks News
Bedard has been turning heads all season long with a string of highlight-reel plays that showcased his impeccable vision, lethal shot and hockey IQ. On Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, he set the entire sports world ablaze when he executed an elusive, lacrosse-style goal.
Pat McAfee had "NHL on TNT" studio analyst and popular Barstool Sports commentator Paul Bissonnette on his show Wednesday to talk about the Blackhawks' rookie phenom.
"For those that don't watch hockey, this is not a normal thing," McAfee said of Bedard's sensational skillset.
"Connor Bedard — he's a freak," Bissonnette said. "And with all the expectations that he had coming into the league, he's surpassed them.
"To start the season, they had [the Blackhawks] on primetime between ESPN and TNT, then they had 'em go to Toronto, Montreal, play Colorado and then Vegas as far as the two last Stanley Cup champions. So they battle-tested him early and he passed every single test. Even after that, he's continued to escalate." And it's not like he's surrounded by the most talented players. That's not taking anything away from the Chicago Blackhawks, but this is a clear rebuild. So it's not even like he's surrounded by all these other guys to make him good. He is just that good. And he's going to be the face of the league. I probably would compare him to Crosby the way that he handles himself, and how hockey obsessed he is, and how media trained he is, and how he's able to take the torch. And like I said, He's the next face of the league once Sid retires.
With Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras scoring the rare "Michigan" goal on the same night, Bissonnette went on to explain why the skillset in the NHL is at an all-time high.
"I think after the last lockout, they made it so there wasn't obstruction hooking, there wasn't all the B.S., there wasn't as much fighting where the skill set could flourish. So the game is, especially from a live perspective, it's so much more fun to consume, and more and more of these players are doing these fascinating things that we haven't seen, or maybe we have, but they're becoming more regular."
McAfee, who is perhaps the most relevant pundit in today's sports media landscape, has been on the Bedard hype train since the start of the season. He even had Bedard as a guest on his show ahead of the rookie's NHL debut.
"Connor [Bedard] being in Chicago is a big f--king deal. It's the third largest city in the United States of America," McAfee said on "The Pat McAfee Show" back in October. They have a very deep hockey history. They have not been great for a long time. And he's supposed to be the next guy. That's huge for hockey."
It's a big f--king deal, indeed. Fans know it. Pat McAfee knows its.
Now, the league's mission is to make the rest of the world know it, too.