Brendan Smith's hit, surgery and recovery were almost a big "whatever" for the Blackhawks rookie. The 18-year-old did credit his mom with being around to help, however.
The video and still photo images of New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith breaking Connor Bedard's jaw with an open-ice hit on were pretty dramatic.
Bedard did go directly to the dressing room after the impact late in the first period of a Jan. 5 game in Newark. That was about all the flair the rookie added to the incident that knocked him out of the Chicago Blackhawks lineup for nearly six weeks.
Bedard shook off the injury, ensuing surgery and his recovery as all-but routine on Thursday following his return Thursday in Chicago's 4-1 loss to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bedard: "It Was A Normal Play"
Yep. It was a hockey play. And maybe just a bit of a quiet NHL learning experience for the low-key Bedard.
"It was a normal play," Bedard recalled. "Just making an (zone) entry and the puck kind of bounced and went forward. I saw him (Smith), but I thought I'd finish the play and kick it out.
"It wasn't really like a hard, obviously, hit. It was clean. He just kind of got me in a spot where it happened to break my jaw. But overall, maybe bail out on the play, but in the moment you just kind of want to make the play."
Bedard said he had no worries about making a similar play in his return on Thursday, even if the rookie joked he had no clue about a reporter's use of the word "trepidation" in a question. See video below.
"I'm not going to go in there scared," Bedard said. "If it happens... you just don't think about it really. In the moment, you just want to kind of make the play. I'm confident in myself and confident in my abilities."
A Teaching Point?
But younger players of all skills levels learn lessons on the fly in the NHL. Even Bedard, the top draft pick of 2023, is no exception.
"Just be smart for sure," Bedard said. "I'm not a big guy. I'm smaller than pretty much everyone. You gotta' have your head up and be ready. If a lot of these guys catch me, then it's not going to be good."
Veteran forward and Chicago de facto captain Nick Foligno, was much more emotional about Smith's hit after the Devils D-man slid laterally to line up Bedard. Foligno squared off with Smith in a fight in the second period and broke his left ring finger in the bout. See story in link below.
How Did It Feel?
Bedard said his immediate sensation after the hit was a "weird" feeling and he was a "bit was off." When medical staff first told him his jaw was fractured, Bedard said he recalled former Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara donning a full facial shield — a.k.a. a "bubble" — and returning immediately to play.
"But obviously it's not Game Seven of the Cup finals and you gotta' wait and let it heal," Bedard said. See video.
Bedard had surgery to set the jaw inn Chicago three days after the hit. He said it hurt for a few days, but then his healing process was smooth.
"My face was a little chubby for a bit there, but after the surgery I was lucky," Bedard said. "It was a couple of days of feeling it but, I felt pretty good.
"It was weird for sure, but overall it wasn't bad." See video.
Bedard credited the Blackhawks nutritional staff, led by Dee Dee Saracco (a.k.a. Gravy Lady), and his mom, Melanie, with helping him manage a liquid diet at first to keep up his weight and strength.
"I had my mom here, so I was pretty lucky that way," Bedard said. "If not, it would have been tough. She was great. Dee Dee is our meals person and she was awesome, so I got a lot of help from everyone." See video.