Bedard draws crowd judging puck-shooting contest at All-Star event

TORONTO -- Cruz Ciarlariello didn't look like he needed much advice on how to shoot, but Connor Bedard gave the 10-year-old some encouragement anyway.

"He was cheering for you, he was rooting you on, wasn't he?" Cruz's father, Nick, said of the Chicago Blackhawks center and No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

"For your second time up, he was like, 'You got this.'"

Cruz did, nailing the target on his sudden-death shot to win the "Be Bedsy" portion of the Toe Drag Release Shooting and Technique Competition, part of Sherwood Hockey's 75th anniversary, at Sport Chek on Saturday.

Bedard attracted a massive crowd at the store, with fans standing shoulder to shoulder, straining to take photos and videos of the rookie when he talked with hosts Brendon Arnold, associate vice president of brand management, and Crystal Sorem, who played for Ohio State in 2016-17 and is partnered with Sherwood Hockey.

Bedard has been recovering from a fractured jaw he sustained about a month ago. There is no timetable for his return.

"Just have to see how it's looking but I feel good and I feel ready," he told Sportsnet on Saturday. "If it were up to me, I would've been back, but of course have to make sure it's healed and make sure you're not risking anything out there."

Discussing his recovery at the event, Bedard said, "I was crushing a lot of smoothies. A couple of guys on my team had [a fractured jaw] before and said they were putting tacos in the blender and stuff. I didn't go to that extreme but a lot of smoothies and juice and stuff. But I'm good now."

Bedard was injured on a hit from New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith in the slot in a 4-2 loss at Prudential Center on Jan. 5. The day before, Bedard was named to the 2024 Honda (U.S)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game. He couldn't play Saturday but was a special guest passer at the NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.

"To have it in Toronto, probably the biggest hockey market in the world, it's great seeing how into it the fans are. That's what it's for," Bedard said. "It's for them. But yeah, it's pretty cool to be here and be with all the other players."

On Saturday, however, Bedard judged how contestants did on their shots. Ciarlariello hit the target on his first go-around, winning a Bedard autographed puck. His winning shot earned him a Sherwood 7500 hockey stick.

"Here we are, my man," Arnold said. "The only one in the world now is in your hands."

Ciarlariello, who's from Lasalle, Ontario, about 3 1/2 hours southwest of Toronto, said, "It was fun and scary at the same time."

Even for those not participating in the contest, seeing Bedard in person was worth it.

"We've been having a really rough week and we found out Connor Bedard was going to be in town. So, we left this morning and here we are," said Adrienne Richards of Mulmur, Ontario, about 80 minutes northwest of Toronto. She attended the event with her 11-year-old daughter, Alexandra.

"We were hoping to get the Sherwood mini sticks, because [Alexandra] likes to bring them to school and play hockey. So, it was a wonderful experience."

The Richards family got to watch Bedard play when the Blackhawks lost 3-2 at the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 14, but on Saturday, Alexandra was able to get near the front of the crowd to see Bedard.

"It was incredible to see Connor Bedard because I've never seen him (up close) in person," Alexandra said. "So, it was cool to be here in Toronto because we're not that far."

Those attending Bedard's event on Saturday came away with great memories. Cruz Ciarlariello also came away with some cool prizes.

"It's been amazing. He's been fortunate," Nick Ciarlariello said. "His mom got him (All-Star) tickets for a Christmas present, so we made a weekend out of it. He's been getting a lot of signatures, but this is the icing on the cake, I think."