Blackhawks coach calls out Team Canada over Connor Bedard’s Olympic snub

Connor Bedard was off to a scorching start with the Chicago Blackhawks, racking up 44 points in 31 games and sparking speculation he’d make Team Canada’s Olympic roster. Then a fluke injury on Dec. 12 sidelined him until the new year, and on Wednesday, Canada announced a roster that did not include the 20-year-old prodigy.

How much did the injury factor into the decision? According to Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong,

“Not a lot, quite honestly. His name was right there till the last second because we could have named him and move forward. I think the reality is there are so many good players and we just had difficult decisions to make.”

While Armstrong emphasized the depth of the roster, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill wasn’t holding back when speaking to Ben Pope about his star player and the snub from Team Canada:

“I don’t think the rest of the league knows how good of a two-way, winning hockey player Connor has become. I don’t think they have a full understanding of how good a winning hockey player he is today.”

Blashill also pointed to the Blackhawks’ struggles without Bedard: since his injury, Chicago has gone 1-6-1, highlighting the impact of his two-way play. “You don’t have that impact if you’re just a point-getter. You only have that impact if you’re a true two-way kind of winning player, and that’s what he’s become.”

While Bedard could still join the Olympics as an injury replacement, his coach insists that the broader hockey world doesn’t fully appreciate just how much the young superstar contributes, both offensively and defensively.