Chicago Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard is going to be an alternate captain for the rest of the season.
On Tuesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets. They blew a late lead after dominating for most of the game.
Ahead of this game, their first following the trade of Connor Murphy, Connor Bedard was given an "A" on his sweater. Murphy was a full-time Alternate Captain in Chicago, but with his departure came the opportunity for Bedard to have it.
After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed that Bedard will have the "A" on his sweater for the rest of the season. With Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno on the trade block, there may be even more captain slots available in the coming days.
"He'll wear the "A" for the rest of the year," Blashill said. "I had given it to him earlier in the year when we had injury issues. I think he's earned it with his commitment to winning hockey."
Blashill has been around some sensational leaders in his coaching career. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman are just a handful of examples. Seeing these qualities in Bedard speaks volumes coming from a coach like Blashill.
"He has to continue to be committed to winning hockey. Those are the ways that you lead," Blashill continued. "Hopefully, he can continue to do that."
"It's great," Bedard said of being given an "A". "There are guys like [Connor Murphy], like [Jason Dickinson], like [Nick Foligno] that we've learned from for a couple of years now. Obviously, the letter doesn't change anything you do as a person or anything, but it's nice to be recognized like that. Lots of great players have worn it."
Bedard is likely the only young player who will get the honor this year. Other candidates for this year include Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Ilya Mikheyev, and Ryan Donato.
Frank Nazar, Alex Vlasic, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene all have signs of being leaders in the future, but their time has to wait. You also don't need a letter on your sweater to be an impactful leader on a hockey team.
Bedard will likely be the next captain of the Blackhawks. If they trade Foligno, they may wait until the off-season to make that official, but you never know. Blashill's words did make it seem like the "A" is going to be his role for now.
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