"He pretends to be my older brother": Connor Bedard discloses how Taylor Raddysh and his wife helped him after he suffered a broken jaw Injury

Chicago Blackhawks teammates Connor Bedard and Taylor Raddysh are neighbors in the same apartment building and share a close bond. The two have such a close bond that Bedard considers Raddysh as his older brother.

Ahead of Thursday's practice, Bedard told the media that when he broke his jaw two months ago, Taylor Raddysh and his wife, also named Taylor, as well as the Raddysh family dog, stayed overnight at Bedard's apartment to care for him and provide support. He said:

"He pretends to be my older brother sometimes. It's pretty funny, even when I broke my jaw that night, him and his wife and his dog stayed at my apartment room with me, so little things like that."

Connor Bedard's statement had previously caused some confusion, with many fans misunderstanding it as a reference to veteran Nick Foligno, his wife Janelle, and their family dog.

However, Chris Vosters, the Blackhawks' play-by-play announcer, clarified the confusion on X, stating that Bedard was referring to Taylor Raddysh, his wife, and their family dog:

"I need to apologize…Connor is referring to Taylor Raddysh, his wife (also named Taylor!) and the Raddysh family dog. Apologies for the mix-up! Too many good guys on this team"

Connor Bedard sustained a jaw injury during a game against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 5 and had to miss 14 games in the process. Since returning from injury on Feb. 20, Bedard has continued his impressive form.

The No. 1 pick for the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL draft currently leads all rookies in scoring. Bedard has garnered 51 points through 20 goals and 31 assists in 52 games, making him the leading candidate for this year's Calder Trophy award given to the best rookie in the league.

Connor Bedard records a career-high 5 points against Ducks

Chicago Blackhawks #98 Bedard

During the Blackhawks' recent 7-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, Bedard registered a career-high five points in the matchup. The 18-year-old rookie collected a goal and four assists in the matchup.

With that, Connor Bedard also surpassed his previous career high of four points set during a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in November. Following his career-high point game against the Anaheim Ducks, Bedard said (via NHL.com):

"I always try to go in with the same mindset and try to play the same,” Bedard said. “It's funny, I had eight games straight without a goal and then you have a couple of big ones and people kind of forget about that. I'm just trying to stick to what works.

" I've been fortunate the last two to get a couple, but it's only two games and obviously it means nothing if we come out and don't do great.”

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks (41 points) have been eliminated from this year's playoff contention. They have 16 games remaining and will take on the LA Kings on Friday.