Chicago Blackhawks: Whose Debut Was Better? Kane or Bedard?

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Joshua Deeds
August 9, 2024 (8:07 PM)

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Patrick Kane helped grow the Blackhawks fanbase consequentially, as Kane was a legitimate star at the beginning of his career.

His first NHL Game was against the Minnesota Wild, on October 4th, 2007 and recorded his first NHL assist against the Wild. Scoring on his first NHL shootout against the Dominator in Detroit, was a great way to follow up the assist, which he would score his first goal against Jose Theodore of the Colorado Avalanche.

He would win Rookie of the Month for October on November 2nd, 2007 scoring 16 points( 5 G, 11 A) in 12 games with the Blackhawks.

An excellent debut by any measure by Showtime.

And Connor Bedard's debut came against NHL legend Sidney Crosby, scoring an assist, and a 4-2 win over the Penguins on home ice in PPG Paints Arena.

However, Bedard would be named Rookie of the Month in November, December, and March in 2023-2024.

He would be a point-per-game player, scoring 12 points in 12 games in October.

Bedard produced 10 goals through 17 games and became one of five players in NHL history at 18 years old or younger to score 10 goals in 17 games along with Patrik Laine (14 GP), Steve Yzerman (15 GP), Dale Hawerchuk (17 GP) and Ted Kennedy (17 GP).

Bedard would again follow this up with an amazing month of production:

Throughout the month of December, Bedard led all NHL rookies with 10 assists and 15 points in 15 games and also shared second among all NHL rookies with five goals. He also led all rookies with five power play points (5A) and an average time on ice per game of 19:45.

Needless to say, while Kane had an excellent first season in the NHL and would become the face of the Blackhawks franchise, winning 3 Stanley Cups, it looks as if Bedard is already in the running to outdo Showtime.

Source: NHL
BLOG: Bedard Named Rookie of the Month for November

Source: NHL
BLOG: Bedard Named Rookie of the Month for December