Connor Bedard thoroughly enjoyed watching Canada’s dramatic overtime victory over the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship Thursday night.
The 19-year-old Blackhawks star and Vancouver native is a hockey fan as much as he is a hockey player — he’s similar to Patrick Kane in that way. He has talked before about frequently turning on random NHL regular-season games during the Hawks’ nights off. And that matchup, of course, was far bigger than any regular-season game.
“[It was an] unreal game, as close as it can be,” Bedard said Friday. “It was just super fun to watch. But obviously, as a Canadian, you’re happy they pulled it off.
“If there was a best-of-seven series, it’s probably going to overtime in game 7. … That’s a big rivalry that’s in a really good place right now. To think about there’s going to be an Olympics next year, too, it’ll be even more ramped up. It’s going to be pretty cool that we get that best-on-best [competition] back. It’s just going to keep growing the sport.”
Considering how high the intensity and emotions were the past two weeks for a made-up tournament intended simply to build anticipation for the Olympics, it’s mind-blowing to imagine what the atmosphere and stakes might be like a year from now.
And by that point, there’s a good chance Bedard won’t be watching on TV in his Chicago apartment but rather vying for a gold medal on the ice in Milan, Italy.
Entering this season, Bedard seemed like a strong candidate for Canada’s 4 Nations roster before his slow start knocked him out of contention.
He was, after all, Canada’s reigning international-hockey hero — due to his amazing performance in the 2023 world junior championships — up until Connor McDavid snatched that title away with his game-winning goal Thursday.
Bedard has improved substantially under Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen, tallying 30 points in 29 games and recording at least one point in 19 of his last 22 games. So it’s conceivable he could’ve even made this Canadian team if the rosters had been decided right before the tournament (in early February) rather than in early December.
In characteristic fashion, Bedard avoided Friday setting any specific expectations of playing in the 2026 Olympics, but he made it clear he would love to.
“Of course if anyone gets that opportunity, they would be over the moon,” he said. “And obviously, I would be myself. But I haven’t put too much thought into it. [I’m] focused on being here and playing as well as I possibly can.”
So what are his odds of making that Canadian roster? They’re definitely not as high as those of current Hawks teammates Teuvo Teravainen (Finland), Philipp Kurashev (Switzerland) and Lukas Reichel (Germany), who all seem like locks or near-locks to become Olympians. Petr Mrazek (Czechia), Alex Vlasic (United States) and Seth Jones (United States) are possibilities, as well.
Still, Bedard’s odds seem higher than 50%. With 49 points in 55 games, he’s already up to 14th among Canadian forwards in the NHL in scoring — above aging Bruins mainstay Brad Marchand, Panthers scrapper Sam Bennett and Lightning two-way maverick Anthony Cirelli, all of whom played in 4 Nations.
There’s value in bringing players with leadership experience, grittiness and/or defensive acumen, and Canada will surely do so again for the Olympics.
But Bedard headlines the nation’s next generation of stars — alongside Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini and, to a lesser extent, Stars youngster Wyatt Johnston — which means they’ll be motivated to begin integrating him into the national team.
Besides, Bedard will likely be averaging a point per game or more by next season, as long as he continues to develop and improve as hoped. That level of production, along with his world-class offensive skills, would be reason enough for him to be invited.