NHL News: Blackhawks star Connor Bedard fires back at legend Mark Messier and other critics

The Chicago Blackhawks‘ results in the 2024-25 NHL season are not good and the criticism began to appear, putting the spotlight on the team’s star, Connor Bedard. The issue started with some questioning, but was magnified when some strong words came from legend and sports analyst Mark Messier during the heavy 1-5 loss to the Florida Panthers.

“There’s no quicker way to destroy the morale of a team than to have players who don’t earn their ice time,” Messier said about Bedard in ESPN. His comments pointed to the Blackhawks‘ defensive weaknesses, specifically a turnover by Chicago’s star that led to an opponent’s goal. Other criticism came from various NHL television analysts.

It hasn’t been a quiet season for the Blackhawks, who fired head coach Luke Richardson in December 2024 due to a disappointing start with an 8-16-2 record. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division and is on a three-game losing streak. At the same time, the 19-year-old Bedard is making his first steps in the professional games. That adjustment is taking place on a non-sporting level as well.

Bedard’s strong response to criticism from Messier and the rest of the analysts

“I’m not watching broadcasts or anything. I’m playing hockey. Their job is to say what they see. I couldn’t really care less, to be honest, what people on the outside think of me or us. But of course I’m not going to be butthurt if someone says I make a bad play or whatever. I don’t care,” Bedard fired back in response to Messier’s message and the rest of the critics, according to Blackhawks insider Charlie Roumeliotis.

Mark Messier, the NHL legend

“Hey man, I know if I messed up a play. Like I said, it’s their job to point that out or to say how they feel about something. But if I make a mistake, I know. I don’t need to watch a TNT broadcast to figure out if I made a mistake. I’m going to know,” Bedard concluded.

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Interim coach Anders Sorensen also reacted to the criticism of Bedard

“Puck management is a big part of the game but we’ll keep those conversations between me and him, what we talk about. He’s aware, He’s a smart player. He knows if he makes a mistake. We talk during the game. He’s a smart player but he’s aware. Even if you look at those turnovers he had, if you look at who’s the first guy back after those turnovers, it’s him. So he knows,” Blackhawks interim coach Sorensen responded in defense of Bedard.