Chicago Blackhawks phenomenon Connor Bedard was injured on his last game, Friday January 5th, against the New Jersey Devils. Bedard suffered a rough blow to the jaw after skating head on into Brendan Smith. Although the hit was technically legal, it was still a brutal hit that forced Bedard to immediately leave the ice and head to the locker room. Bedard did not return to the game. After Bedard left the ice, cradling his jaw, teammate Nick Foligno proceeded to fight Brendan Smith after a call was made that it was a legal hit. Nick Foligno fractured a left finger during the fight, and was also out for the remainder of the game.

Both have been placed on injured reserve. Bedard is out for six to eight weeks, whereas Foligno will be out for only seven days.

Bedard’s career has been outstanding for his first season in the National Hockey League (NHL). So far he has 15 goals and 18 assists. As the NHL’s top rookie, Bedard was heading towards earning Chicago’s 10th Calder Trophy winner. The Calder Trophy was named after former National League president Frank Calder. The trophy is awarded to a player that shows the most progress in his first season. Bedard is still expected to win the trophy even though he missed a lot of games, which has not happened in over 47 years. 

Bedard is back to practicing now, but is unable to make shots because of the clenching of the jaw when a player attempts to shoot a goal. Bedard is meant to miss 15 games, but could potentially miss more. 

The Blackhawks are in no rush to have Bedard back since they are not expected to place in the NHL finals. Their hope is to have Bedard back healthy and fully healed. It’s always tough when a young talented player gets injured early in their seasons, but Bedard has great determination, and the Blackhawks already know that they will see him back on the ice soon.