Connor Bedard catches ricochet from Blackhawks teammate Frank Nazar’s bold statement about IIHF World Championship

While both Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar endured grueling, mentally exhausting NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, their summer plans couldn’t have been more different. Bedard chose to decline Canada’s invitation to the 2025 IIHF World Championship, while Nazar joined Team USA’s delegation. Ultimately, Nazar returned from the European trip with a gold medal around his neck—and his latest comments might only make Bedard’s decision look worse.

Fans in Chicago are starting to regain confidence on the Blackhawks—slowly, but steadily. The rise of new stars like Nazar during the 2024-25 NHL season definitely helps. Bedard is not all alone anymore, and the prospects pool continues to blossom into potential key players in the lineup.

Out of every name on the roster, there might not be anyone who’s enjoyed such a growth spurt as Nazar. Only a rookie during the past season, he became a key contributor and is only trending upwards. Nazar rose to the spotlight during the 2025 IIHF World Championship. He led the American team with 12 points, helping secure the championship with a win over Switzerland in the decisive game.

Nazar and Team USA snapped a 92-year drought, and his reflections after the tournament only made Bedard’s decision to sit out the competition raise more eyebrows.

“Before the tournament I was kind of deciding whether or not I would want to go or enjoy the extra-long summer to just train and get better,” Nazar admitted during an interview with Chicago Sports Network. “And I was like ‘How can you pass-out on playing for your country? To play for the USA. I went, enjoyed my time and played my heart out. I had the most fun I’ve had in a while playing hockey.”

Paid off

After a exhausting 82-game season, it takes a strong will for players to make a cross-continental flight to put their bodies on the line, all over again. The prospect of representing their home countries usually makes up for it, though. However, Bedard opted to stay put, focusing on his individual training. It’s more than justified, however.

While Nazar played just 53 games in the NHL season, Bedard appeared in every single Blackhawks outing. He’d be the first to admit, not many of those were truly enjoyable.

Bedard’s decline of Canada’s invite initially raised little eyebrows, as it is almost routinary for NHL players to forego the tournament. It wasn’t until Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Marc-Andre Fleury decided to participate that Bedard’s stance became so controversial.

Building off season-finale

While there wasn’t many fond memories to take from Chicago’s 2024-25 season, the best moments came during the final stretch. The Blackhawks seemingly solidified their foundations for the future, and hockey became fun once again in the Windy City, as Nazar pointed out.

“It’s been a blast. The last few games have honestly been so fun,” Nazar said about the ending to the past NHL season. “The new guys that came in, they fit in right away. I think the Blackhawks did a great job of starting that early, we go to all these camps in the summer. We get to know these guys and create bonds. That just helps so much.

“We got a great group of young guys who just get along very well and hang out off the ice, just cracking jokes. We were laughing a ton, and we were winning there at the end. I think those two things go hand in hand. Hockey is supposed to be fun, that’s why you start playing it. When you have a group of guys you have fun with, you can do something special.”