Connor Bedard Expresses Thoughts About the Intense Hockey Competition Between Canada and USA
As a Chicago Blackhawks rookie and Team Canada player Connor Bedard watched from the bench at the 4 Nations Face-Off while his team achieved a nail-biting 3-2 overtime victory over the United States on Thursday night.
Following Blackhawks practice on Friday Bedard emphasized that international hockey is becoming more competitive as the United States teams have shown how evenly matched they are with Canada national teams.
Watching games between these teams proves their tight competition to everyone who observes them according to Bedard. Such a seven-game tournament would extend all the way to an extra overtime period before determination could be reached. The growth of competitiveness throughout multiple international hockey nations brings great benefits to the sport. Canada and USA rivalry currently exists in an outstanding condition.
In the recent game Canada defeated their rival USA through an overtime goal scored by Connor McDavid. After winning the round-robin prelude by a 3-1 score against Canada the USA managed to ignite greater rivalry tensions between adjacent national hockey teams.
Due to his speed of development and talented nature Bedard currently stands as a solid bet to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan despite missing out on selection for the 4 Nations team at age 19. The up-and-coming star understands perfectly what lies ahead as his future.
“The Olympics are coming up next year, and that’s going to take things to an even higher level,” Bedard remarked.
For now, Bedard’s focus remains on his rookie season with the Blackhawks, but the prospect of representing Canada in one of hockey’s most storied rivalries is never far from his mind.
After being left off Canada’s 4 Nations roster in December, Bedard addressed the decision with self-awareness and motivation during an intermission segment on TNT’s “NHL Face Off.”
“I don’t know, you kind of sleep in the bed you make,” he admitted. “I haven’t been too happy with how I started the year, but I see it as motivation. I just have to keep working hard and improving—that’s my focus.”
Bedard’s credentials speak for themselves. He won the NHL’s Rookie of the Year award last season and previously starred for Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championships (23 points in seven games) and the 2024 IIHF World Championships (five goals in 10 games). As he continues to develop, his presence on the international stage seems inevitable, setting the stage for even more electric moments in hockey’s premier rivalry.
