Connor Bedard is incredible.
Chicago Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard pulled off one of the goals of the year with an incredible lacrosse-style “Michigan” move to tie the game 1-1 early in the first period against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
The 18-year-old Bedard brought the puck from behind the net, scooped it onto his stick blade, and slipped it top shelf past a stunned Jordan Binnington in goal for the Blues.
The jaw-dropping tally showcased the sublime skill and confidence of the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and the presumptive 2024 Calder Trophy winner.
Video:
OH MY CONNOR BEDARD pic.twitter.com/WUzWhEraJp
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 24, 2023
During the intermission, Bedard told NBC Sports Chicago he hadn’t actually pulled off a Michigan in a game since he was pretty young.
Bedard added, “There was just no one there. Just thought it was a good play, and, yeah, kind of went for it.”
Check out Bedard’s interview after his Michigan goal:
Connor Bedard talks about his unbelievable lacrosse goal during the intermission 😎 pic.twitter.com/fYS6wkX4cd
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 24, 2023
Bedard’s goal comes one year after his incredible World Juniors performance in which he broke several tournament scoring records but failed to score on a few Michigan attempts. His 23 points led the tournament while captaining Canada to a gold medal.
Bedard has exceeded expectations in his first NHL season, leading all NHL rookies with 12 goals and 29 points in 32 games. He’s also averaging 19:32 of ice time, which shows how important he is for Chicago despite his young age.
Bedard joins Andrei Svechnikov, Filip Forsberg, Trevor Zegras and Kent Johnson as NHL players who have scored Michigan goals. See a full list of all NHL players who have attempted the Michigan here.
Considering Bedard is only in his first NHL season, we can’t wait to see what he has in store for hockey fans over the next decade.
