Sad announcement from Blackhawks teammates concerned on Bedard's well-being

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Joshua Deeds
May 30, 2024 (4:36 PM)

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Connor Bedard has a burden to bear upon his shoulders: the weight of expectations from the fans, media, and management.

The generational talent and wunderkind Bedard has finished his first season in the NHL. He led all rookies in Goals(22) and Points( 61) during the 2023-2024 season and is a consensus pick for the Calder Trophy.

However, the face of the Blackhawks comes with major territory, most players including Philipp Kurashev won't have to deal with, intense scrutiny and tons of interviews.

During the IIHF World Championships, Kurashev and Team Swiss defeated Bedard and Team Canada.

Which put salt on the wound, as Bedard came away without a medal, after being scratched in the last part of the tournament.

Kurashev's Concern About The Mental Well-Being of Bedard

Kurashev would be interviewed by Swiss media Tages-Anzeiger and would be asked about his time in the NHL, and he opened up about his experience in the world's greatest hockey league.

According to Kurashev, he felt that Bedard had to answer for the team's poor performance all season, as the face of the franchise.

He felt sorry that the spotlight was continually fixed upon Bedard, despite feeling relief that it no longer shone his way.

«Sometimes I felt sorry for him. He was our player who had to speak to the media most often. When it was related to our team, he was always targeted. He had meetings all the time: interviews, photo shoots and all sorts of things that I don't even know about," Kurashev said.

Kurashev spoke of how 99% of the time, people were waiting to get something out of Bedard:

«Even in the hotels or on the street, everyone kept wanting something from him,» he added about Connor Bedard"

Bedard did finish the year, with 61 points in 68 games, missing 14 due to the jaw fracture, but still did well in his first NHL season.

Kurashev reportedly is worried about Bedard's mental health, giving the burden of answering for all of the Blackhawks wrong during the year.

We just hope next year is a season of improvement, for Bedard and the Blackhawks. And Kurashev and Bedard reunite on the same line yet again, to be as electric as they were before.

Kurashev's classiness regarding his concern for his teammate is touching.

Source: Habsetlnh
Sad announcement: teammates concerned for Connor Bedard's well-being