Bedard Faces Another 10-Minute Misconduct: Continues Troubled Streak
Connor Bedard, the Chicago Blackhawks player, entered Thursday’s match against the San Jose Sharks having not accumulated any game misconducts during his NHL career.
By Saturday, he has acquired an additional one, bringing his total to two.
Bedard received a 10-minute misconduct for a second consecutive game at the end of Saturday’s 6-2 loss to the host Vancouver Canucks.
The intensity of the match escalated towards the end of the third period when Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson collided with Canucks forward Filip Chytil from behind, but no penalties were issued. Given his past concussion issues, Chytil had to exit the game prematurely.
Rick Tocchet, the Canucks' head coach, provided no new information about Chytil’s condition following the match.
Following the collision, tensions escalated dramatically with less than three minutes remaining, leading to a heated confrontation. Four members of the Canucks team approached Bedard—a local from North Vancouver—resulting in an altercation near the Vancouver goal area.
As a result of the altercation, Bedard, Frank Nazar from the Blackhawks, along with Conor Garland from the Canucks and Filip Hronek, all received 10-minute misconduct penalties.
The 19-year-old Bedard appeared clearly upset as he made his way to the team locker room, tossing his helmet down the corridor before returning to offer an apology to a staffer from the Blackhawks.
Bedard was sent off early, marking only his second penalty in his career. The first came during Thursday's game against the Sharks due to "abuse of officials."
After the match, Bedard stated that the penalty was issued due to remarks he made following an unpenalized trip of the Sharks' defenseman Mario Ferraro when Bedard attempted to execute a play in the attacking area.
"I don't believe it was overly chaotic, but since he's the referee, he has the authority to make that decision," Bedard said. told reporters Thursday. "… It’s not something you truly anticipate, yet it occurs."
This second year has been quite frustrating for him. Bedard As with Saturday’s defeat, the Blackhawks' record falls to 20-37-9.
It's quite probable that he set a historical mark on Saturday, considering it will likely be the sole instance where the generally soft-spoken Bedard receives penalties in consecutive matches. Nonetheless, this isn’t the kind of record he aimed to establish for his season.
