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The Connor Bedard era in the windy city of Chicago has begun. The 18-year-old delivered a brilliant performance in his preseason debut against the St. Louis Blues at United Center on Thursday (Sept. 28).
Although a goal on his debut would have been the cherry on top, Bedard had two assists, including an assist to Andreas Athanasiou's goal that ensured the Blackhawks a 2-1 win in OT over the St. Louis Blues.
Fans who had long hoped to see Connor Bedard in a Hawks uniform were pleased with his debut performance. Following the game, NHL fans flooded X (formerly Twitter) with praise for Bedard.
One fan wrote:
Trending
"Take that, Patrick Mahomes"
Here are some of the best reactions across X on Bedard's debut:
Connor Bedard's debut ended with a win in OT
The Chicago Blackhawks opened their preseason with a 2-1 OT win over the St. Louis Blues at United Center. The first period saw no goals from either team, but the Hawks dominated with 11 shots on goal.
In the second period, at the 10:49 mark, debutant Bedard assisted Philipp Kurashev to put the Hawks 1-0 up before heading into the final period.
In the third period, Robert Thomas scored for the Blues and tied the game at 1-1, resulting in an OT. With 4:02 minutes into OT, Bedard registered his second assist on the night, and Andreas Athanasiou converted the pass into the back of the net for the winner.
Bedard had 21:20 minutes of ice time, taking five shots and winning 10 of 16 face-offs in the contest. He spoke to the media (via NHL.com) and said that he is capable of doing much better:
"I didn't think I personally played great. It's really good to get the win -- obviously preseason. Nothing's better than winning. I felt good in the systems, which is a good thing. In the [defensive] zone I felt pretty comfortable. But I think I can do a lot better."
Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks next play a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (Sept. 30).
