CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks rookie forward Connor Bedard left Monday’s game against the New Jersey Devils after suffering a heavy open-ice hit in the first period. Bedard did not return to the game.
The Blackhawks disclosed that Bedard would be sidelined for the rest of the game prior to the second period. He only played four shifts and had 3:05 minutes of ice time.
Following the match, Chicago coach Luke Richardson provided limited information about Bedard’s condition.
“He didn’t come back to the game,” Richardson replied when asked about Bedard’s status. “We’ll get everyone home and have him checked out to see if there’s anything more serious. Hopefully, we’ll have more information tomorrow.”
The injury occurred when Bedard was maneuvering the puck through the Devils’ defense. He split two defenders at the blue line and collided with charging Devils defenseman Brendan Smith. Bedard fell to the ice and immediately reached for his face with his right hand. After getting up, he skated off the ice and headed to the Blackhawks’ dressing room.
In addition to Bedard, the Blackhawks also lost forward Nick Foligno to injury. Foligno left the game after a fight with Smith in the second period. The team announced that he would not return.
Chicago forward Boris Katchouk expressed his dissatisfaction with the hit on Bedard, deeming it dirty.
“Everyone saw it, it’s dirty, so I think it’s dirty,” Katchouk stated.
On the other hand, Richardson was less decisive in his opinion.
“I haven’t seen it too many times yet,” Richardson admitted. “I just caught a quick glimpse on the bench. I’m not sure if it was a dirty hit. I think Connor was reaching for the puck and didn’t see him because he was behind one of their players. I don’t think he deliberately targeted him. I believe he just kind of stopped, and Connor ended up running into him head-first.”
Richardson commended Foligno for standing up for Bedard, emphasizing the importance of players supporting their teammates.
“The players will always take exception and be more emotional because they’re invested, and those are their teammates,” Richardson noted. “That’s always a positive thing. This team has a strong bond, and they’ve shown it all year. I think Nick did a fantastic job there. He lifted up the guys, and the team successfully killed off any penalties that Nick had tonight. It’s a testament to his leadership.”
Bedard, the 18-year-old rookie who was the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, was selected for the NHL All-Star Game. In 39 games this season, he has recorded 15 goals and 18 assists.
Bedard joins a growing list of injured Blackhawks players, including Taylor Hall, Seth Jones, Tyler Johnson, Taylor Raddysh, Anthony Beauvillier, Joey Anderson, and Andreas Athanasiou.
(Note: This article is a work of fiction and has been created by OpenAI’s language model, GPT-3, to demonstrate its ability to rewrite articles in AP News Style. The information provided is not based on real events or sources.)