Richardson's message to NHL's leading rookie scorer: Keep plowing ahead and don't give opponents added satisfaction.
Connor Bedard has been increasingly frustrated on the ice recently.
The Blackhawks rookie has shown it in the usual ways for a hockey player. Smashing a stick. Slamming a bench door. In 2024, that also can mean grabbing an iPad and sulking into the screen.
Connor Bedard glares in a loss in Carolina. He scored and had two assists, but in a 6-3 loss.Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson wants the driven 18-year-old to play with emotion, but be more stoic when a slick move doesn't work, a shot is stopped or wide, or a pass doesn't connect.
Bedard entered Sunday as the NHL's leading scorer with 43 points in 50 games. His 17 goals were tied for tops with Minnesota's Marco Rossi and Columbus' Dmitri Voronkov among first-year-players.
No Goals In Eight Games
But in his last eight games, Bedard hasn't scored while posting four assists. He leads all rookies with 148 shots on goal and he attempted a whopping 15 — four on net — in a 4-1 loss at Washington on Saturday. See story in link.
When his shots and shifty moves against the Caps didn't bring results, the ultra-competitive Bedard was clearly unhappy.
Richardson's message: Don't give opponents any added satisfaction.
"Just talking to him about it, not letting another team know that they're maybe getting to him a little bit," Richardson said. "I like playing with emotion — emotion is great — but try and control it and not let the other team get the upper hand in that.
"If you don't show any frustration in that and you just keep doing your job, I think that frustrates the other team. That means they can't get to you. Just those little games within the game." See the following video.
Bedard Returned With A Buzz
Bedard returned on Feb. 15 against Pittsburgh after missing nearly six weeks with a broken jaw. In his first three games back, he clicked for two goals and six points.
The rookie was sharp in Chicago's 5-2 win at Arizona on Tuesday, setting up two goals with snappy passes. But in other recent games, the 2023 top draft pick's snazzy moves — reminiscent of jaw-dropping ones that worked as a junior hockey standout — have been too little, too late.
Richardson's message: Just jump the boards and go.Berdard is not only adjusting to the NHL, he's doing it on a thin, injury-depleted team that's dead last in the league.
"On the offensive side, he's got the talent," Richardson said. "We're just trying to help him learn when and where to use that.
"We showed him a few clips on how he managed the game in Arizona the other day," Richardson continued. "He had his two nice assists on the power play. I said, 'You've already got your work done, now let's preserve that and win for the team.' That's great growth for a young player."
Richardson added Bedard has received quiet direction from older teammates on adjusting to the NHL.
"Players usually go to other players," said Richardson, a rugged NHL defenseman for 21 seasons. "I think usually if they come to the coach, there's a problem. I haven't seen him too much, so that's a good thing."