Connor Bedard turned heads on Saturday night after pulling off the unthinkable "Michigan" goal. He scooped the puck and wrapped it around the net to score his 13th of the season.
MORE: Blackhawks' Connor Bedard submits Goal of Year candidate with unreal lacrosse goal
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During the game, one of the greatest to ever play the game, Wayne Gretzky, said he could never do what Bedard did against the Blues.
"I couldn't do what he did tonight," Gretzky told Bally St.Louis. "That just wasn't in my repertoire. I didn't have the right kind of curve. Hully (Bobby Hull) could do it. I could never do what he did tonight. It was fun to watch. My daughter Emma is with me. And she goes, 'Dad, did you ever do that?' And I said 'No, I could never do that.'"
The goal originated from Bill Armstrong, a minor league player for the Albany Devils. Trying it at practice, he wondered if he could use the move in a real game. He did. And he scored four goals with that trick.
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Mike Legg, a winger for the Michigan Wolverines, heard about the move and used it himself in a 1996 NCAA Tournament game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It was named the "Goal of the Year" by Swedish magazine Inside Hockey. The stick Legg used was later donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It shouldn't surprise Blackhawks fans that Bedard accomplished the goal. It's eye-popping and shocking, of course. But Bedard has the talent to pull off those moves. In fact, he tried to perform the same goal in the World Juniors a year ago to the day. He didn't score it then, only because the goalie defended the move efficiently.
Bedard made it happen in the NHL though. That added a bullet point to his already robust, impressive résumé. Gretzky admitted the same about Bedard's fantastic rookie season.
"Well, he's been fun to watch. He's probably better than we anticipated," Gretzky said. "He's not only an ambassador on the ice but he's been tremendous off the ice for an 18-year-old young man. I'm happy for him. He's got the right coach in Luke Richardson, the right organization."