Connor Bedard opens up about playing in his hometown of Vancouver for the first time

Connor Bedard is set to play in his first NHL game in his hometown of Vancouver this Saturday when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.

The 19-year-old phenom was selected No. 1 overall by the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL draft and has been living up to the hype, leading all rookies in points last season.

Saturday's game marks a monumental moment for the North Vancouver native to play as an NHL player in the city he grew up in.

"It's pretty cool, I have a lot of friends and family who will be there watching," Bedard said via NHL.com. "It'll be different than playing on the road, just knowing that I'm playing in my hometown."

Bedard had been eagerly anticipating playing in Vancouver ever since last season but was unable to play there due to a broken jaw.

Now healthy, he's excited to finally suit up in front of a home crowd. However, the demand for tickets from friends and family has been so high that Bedard joked:

"It's not crazy, but I'll be paying to play for a night."

Father Tom Bedard reminisced about spending time with Connor in their Lynn Valley home in Vancouver.

“Me and him, when he was little, our neighborhood was flat and he could do a lot of inline stuff with the puck and shoot and skate,” Tom Bedard said. “It’s something similar. It’s not exact but we were able to practice, and he did a lot on his own and with me. He just took to the game in that way.”

Connor Bedard's coaches on him playing in Vancouver

Connor Bedard's hometown coaches are excited at the prospect of the hockey phenom playing in his hometown against the Vancouver Canucks.

Clint Colebourn, who first coached Bedard at North Shore Winter Club in 2016-17, said via NHL.com:

“This time around, it’s funny how even in minor hockey how many people talk about it, how parents have been talking for months about Connor coming back.”

Steve Marr, another of Bedard's former youth coaches at the time of West Vancouver Warriors, describes the anticipation perfectly.

“I’m just talking to you about how intimate North Van is in relevance to the city but then at the same time, the city itself kind of adopts the successes that come from here and get labeled as just the city of Vancouver,” Marr said.

“So I think with how special of a story Connor’s been, it’s easy for someone in Surrey to be proud and consider him a local boy as much as where he grew up in North Van," he added.

Expectations will certainly be high for Connor Bedard’s hometown NHL debut. How do you think Bedard and Co. will fare against the Canucks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.