With his 204th shot on goal, Bedard will break Hall-of-Famer Doug Wilson's Blackhawks mark for first year players.
Nobody shoots the puck quite like Chicago rookie forward Connor Bedard.
The same often was said about former Blackhawks and Hall-of-Fame defenseman Doug Wilson.
Bedard shoots a lot. So did Wilson over 16 NHL seasons.
As a 20-year-old in 1977-78, Wilson set the Blackhawks rookie record for shots on goal in a season with 203 in 77 games, according to NHL records.*
Entering Friday's game against the playoff-bound Nashville Predators, the 18-year-old Bedard has 201. The NHL's leading rookie scorer has attempted 190 additional shots that have been blocked or gone wide.
Bedard will pass Wilson's mark in the Blackhawks' final four games. The crafty forward would have already had he not missed 14 contests with a broken jaw.
Different Styles, Mechanics
Bedard can use a sneaky, shifty shot that fools goalies. The rookie also can one-time pucks in close with the best of them. Then there are his funky approaches, like the lacrosse style or "Michigan" goal against St. Louis on Dec. 23.
The mobile, smart Wilson may be the best former Blackhawks player whose number has not been retired by the team. He could fly and he could fire from the left side, running up 225 goals and 779 points in 938 games with Chicago over 14 seasons.
The classy Ottawa native launched a total of 3,297 shots over his career.
Wilson had one of the hardest shots in the league during his era, doing it mostly with great leverage and mechanics. He could pick corners from the left point with a quick release, or really let it rip.
Beloved by teammates, "Willie" won the Norris Trophy in 1981-82 when he hit career highs of 39 goals and 85 points. He was also respected by opponents. Glen Sather, the general manager of the legendary 1980s Edmonton Oilers clubs, said Wilson was the No. 1 player he would have wanted to add to his Stanley Cup winning teams.
Wilson finished his career with San Jose, then became the Sharks general manager for 19 years before stepping down in 2022 for health reasons
*-Per the NHL's online data. Hockey Reference shows Wilson with 204 in 1977-78