BEDARD’S BIG BUDDY
WITH RADDYSH, HAWKS’ ROOKIE PHENOM HAS FOUND AN ‘OLDER BROTHER’ HE CAN LEAN ON
The night Connor Bedard broke his jaw, he was upset, uncomfortable and lonely. So Taylor Raddysh was there for him. Raddysh, his wife and his dog spent the night in Bedard’s Chicago apartment, keeping the Blackhawks’ rookie phenom company through the first several hours of the toughest part of his first NHL season.
Raddysh and Bedard — as well as coach Luke Richardson — live in the same building, so it wasn’t exactly a long commute. But that story reflects better than any what a tight friendship the two Hawks forwards have created this year.
“He pretends to be my older brother sometimes,” Bedard said. “He’s someone I’m super-close with, and he means a lot to me. Things like that [that] he does have really helped me out.”
Both share a sense that their connection is truly meaningful.
“Anything he needs help with, anything he needs of me, I try to be there for him and help him as much as I can,” Raddysh said.
“He’s 18 years old, and it’s hard being by yourself. When times are tough with hockey, when you feel like you need someone to talk to, I feel like I’ve been a pretty good guy for him to lean on. And [he is] for me, as well, when I have some questions.”
It’s true that Bedard has developed strong chemistry with many teammates this season — in many different ways. He, Kevin Korchinski and Philipp Kurashev often linger after a full-team practice for a half-hour or more, passing, shooting and enjoying themselves.
He and Kurashev have spent the vast majority of their ice time on the first line together, demonstrating a knack for savvy offensive plays.
And he and Nick Foligno have developed a heartwarming mentor-mentee relationship, as reflected in a viral clip Tuesday in which
Foligno jokingly told Bedard he doesn’t have “enough contract time” to teach him everything he needs to learn.
Even off the ice, Bedard’s parents and sister provide lots of support. They’ve taken turns staying with him during homestands this season, and he talks to his dad, Tom, constantly, be it in person or over the phone.
“I’ll call him after every [game] and just talk about it,” Bedard said. “He’s a lot more positive about myself than I am sometimes. I feel like he always knows what to say after a bad game or whatever.”
But his friendship with Raddysh fills a specific niche within his support system.
There’s something to be said for being able to talk things through with someone who just went through the battle with you rather than watched it from afar. And there’s also something to be said for being able to do so in quiet, private settings, while lying on the couch or driving to the rink.
Although Bedard’s humble, polite, immaculately inoffensive personality in interviews and public appearances hides it well, he does have plenty of emotions and frustrations to talk through. His affinity for punching bench walls probably gives a more accurate impression of his inner workings.
“He’s a normal athlete,” Raddysh said. “He’s competitive. He’s hard on himself when he feels like he needs to be better. With the group, too, he gets frustrated with certain things, as any human would. [But] he’s a guy that can bounce back right away.”
For the record, Bedard isn’t ashamed of that trait. It’s certainly preferable to apathy.
“If we lose . . . and I don’t feel like I played great, I’m mad,” he said. “There’s a balance to that, for sure. I don’t feel like I’m terrible, but I’m competitive, and this means a lot to me. I think it’s better to be a little frustrated for long than [to] wash it away right away.”
Raddysh has given him advice about how to compartmentalize those frustrations, though. As his responsibilities beyond hockey expand and become more complicated in the years ahead, he’ll benefit from that.
“Given my experience with myself [and my] wife, there have been days I’ve been angry and brought it home, and then it’s just more frustrations that are in your own home,” Raddysh said.
“Once you leave work, try to flush it out. If you need to stay later, do your job there. Once you go home, you’ve got to dial it back in and focus for the next day.” ✶
Bedard and Raddysh typically carpool together to and from the airport and games at the United Center, which works perfectly for hyping each other up or for winding down and debriefing. To and from practices, they usually drive separately because Bedard stays so long afterward.
Bedard’s ridiculous work ethic has begun rubbing off on Raddysh, 26, nonetheless. He has recently found himself coming in early or staying late more often, even if only to squeeze in five more minutes of a workout or stretching exercise.
And the entire dynamic of their friendship has shown Raddysh a new side of himself, too.
This is only his third NHL season, so he previously considered himself basically one of the kids. Six months alongside Bedard have taught him he can be a leader instead.
“No one has ever really needed to lean on me for anything,” Raddysh said. “I know he’s not in need to have me around, but whatever he needs help with, I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job with it.
“He has helped me grow that way — into more of a man.”