From THN On The 'E': EBUG Story of the Ages, Josh Manisacalco and More. THN.com/podcast Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTkxNTk3ODQ1NDg3ODIyMzIy/ca1_5802.jpg] Here’s the thing about hockey’s all-time great players: they’re great not only because they’ve been dominant but because they’ve lived up to the hype that followed them from their earliest days playing the game. Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux – you name the icon. We’ll show you brilliance that revealed itself at the amateur level, and then at the pro level, and then at the top of the top level. Despite attempts to lock them down via the sport’s best defenders, the true greats have been able to push the NHL to new levels, and dare the rest of the NHL Players’ Association to catch up to them. We’ve seen the same evolution from Connor McDavid for the past few seasons. The Oilers superstar feels like he has a different gear to his game. Every night, he takes the ice, he’s the focal point of the opposition’s coaches and defensive attack. Yet, every night, he’s almost toying with the other team. His skill set is astonishing enough, but his determination to fight through the competition makes him the bulldozer he is. And now, along comes Connor Bedard. Even if you hadn’t followed the emergence of the 17-year-old Canadian forward, even if you’d never heard his name until this past week, if you watched him compete at the World Junior Championship, you saw all you needed to see to confirm him as the Next Big Thing. At age 17, in his second world juniors tournament, Bedard looked like a man amongst boys. He was the youngest player on Team Canada, playing in front of an expectant home nation crowd. All he did was rewrite the record books, setting a new mark for most career World Junior Championship points by a Canadian and most career World Junior Championship goals by a Canadian. And again, this is all in his first year of playing against the best-of-the-best young players alive today. So it seems unfair, what’s going to happen in the next couple of years, when he’s even more comfortable asserting himself as a leviathan. To his credit, Bedard played into the aw-shucks, humble culture of the hockey superstar at the world juniors, always emphasizing team play and camaraderie as the chief drivers of the winning process. But he also acknowledged that he wants the puck on his stick during the height of on-ice action. He knows he’s the best player out there, and he’s only getting started. This is why you cannot fault NHL teams for tanking to have the best shot at drafting Bedard this summer. Players of his caliber are not acquired on the trade market. They’re not signed as unrestricted free agents. The only route to land one is at the top of the draft board. And if your team is fortunate enough to win the draft lottery, it’s at least set up for success for the next decade-and-a-half. Bedard is going to be hailed as the savior for one franchise. If it might seem a smidge unfair to put all that pressure on someone who still isn’t old enough to see a rated-R movie, it’s also happening for a good reason. Despite having all eyes on him – many of them cynical eyes who think there’s nothing new under the sun – Bedard has left more mouths agape than a 70–year-old streaker. Like all players, Bedard will have obstacles to his ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup. Crosby had to fight through them. So did Lemieux. Gretzky had to be humbled by the New York Islanders dynasty before he elevated his team into a dynasty of its own. Nobody is saying Bedard will have a cakewalk of a career journey. However, like all the greats, Bedard exudes excellence. He’s an extra-special player, and we haven’t seen him at his peak. But already, he’s shown himself to be a cut above the rest. That should terrify all his future opponents and thrill his growing legion of fans. We’re watching a legend blossom before our eyes, and it’s a pure joy to behold.
