Bedard gets back to ‘what I live for’ with quick return from shoulder surgery

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard stood in the locker room sporting a backward baseball cap on his head and a sizeable vertical scar on his shoulder, the latter the souvenir of his surgery in July.

The 21-year-old toiled to get to this point. So many off- and on-ice training sessions, so much skating, so many shots to get back into the lineup several weeks before originally anticipated.

For Bedard, it was all worth it because he was really, really missing hockey games.

“Yeah, a lot. A lot,” the Blackhawks captain said with a laugh after making his regular-season debut in a 5-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at United Center on Tuesday.

“Just the camaraderie, the energy in the building, everything. It’s all you want to do, you know? It’s what I live for.”

Bedard’s life since mid-summer has been about recovery and getting back as quickly as possible. He had surgery on his left shoulder after injuring it at an offseason training session in Vancouver on July 2. At the time of his surgery, Bedard was expected to be out until November.

So much for that.

Bedard was skating on his own from the start of training camp, and he started skating with the Blackhawks on Oct. 5. He participated in his first two full practices of the season on Sunday and Monday.

It all led to his return on Tuesday, when he logged 21:06 of ice time, fourth on the Blackhawks and first among forwards. Back at No. 1 center on the top line with left wing Roman Kantserov and right wing Patrick Kane, Bedard got his first point of the season, a primary assist on Kantserov’s power-play goal at 17:50 of the first period.

It was Bedard’s 129th career assist, third-most by a player in Blackhawks history before age 22, behind Denis Savard (191) and Kane (166).

“He looked great. Looked like he was skating well, looked like he was making plays,” Kane said. “He had some really good chances, nice passes. I thought it was a great night for him.”

Bedard came into Tuesday saying he had no concerns, no reason to be hesitant, and it showed. His trademark wrist shot, which was his first shot on goal at 11:02 of the first period, looked good. So did his second shot on goal, a slap shot to start the Blackhawks’ first power play at 16:55 of the first. He was also 6-for-14 on face-offs.

“(It all) felt good,” he said. “Like I said before, if I didn’t feel normal I wouldn’t be playing. It all felt good and didn’t find myself thinking about it, really. That’s all you can ask for.”

Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said Bedard’s season debut was “pretty good.”

“I’m sure he’d say he had moments of good and probably a little rusty a couple of times. But overall to miss what he’s missed, and to be able to come out and play that well is pretty impressive,” he said.

“The other thing I would say that I didn’t say earlier today is Connor put an incredible amount of work to come back as quick as he did. He did everything he could possibly do to put himself in position to come back quick. So, certainly I think it’s a testament to him and his desire to play and work ethic and commitment to the team.”

Bedard enjoyed his first game with Kantserov and Kane, as well. The three, who were also together on the top power-play unit, only had a practice or two together and are looking to build on that.

“They’re two unbelievable players,” Bedard said of Kantserov and Kane. “I think the plays they made today, and I feel I was even holding them back, some turnovers and stuff, but Roman was unbelievable and he’s just going to keep getting better. It’s what, Game 7? And ‘Kaner,’ I don’t even need to say how good he is. I think we can really build and keep getting better.”

It was an enjoyable evening for Bedard. As usual, he was playing it cool the past few days when he talked of his return. There’s no doubt he’s been counting the days. A little rust? Sure. But there were more pluses than minuses. He’s ready to be part of games again, ready to contribute again and ready to help the Blackhawks turn things around.

“Obviously you lose a couple, and I think when you look at the last couple of games, we did good things and you feel you’re not getting rewarded, it can be frustrating,” he said. “There are still areas we can clean up but overall, we played pretty well and getting the win is obviously what matters.”