Like Crosby and McDavid before him, Connor Bedard making his mark at World Championship

The average NHL fan considers the IIHF World Championship to be an afterthought. It overlaps with the Stanley Cup playoffs, and with many of the game’s biggest stars either preoccupied or just hanging out at home, it’s not a best-on-best competition.

But those who go every year have nothing but good things to say. The atmosphere is incredible, the games are some of the most exciting you’ll find anywhere, and national pride — and a higher spot in the IIHF rankings, which affects Olympic participation — is always a reason to participate.

Two of the NHL’s biggest Canadian stars know that all too well. After his 102-point rookie season in 2005-06, Sidney Crosby made his men’s senior team debut, leading all players with 16 points in just nine games. He’d help lead the Penguins to a few extended playoff runs for the better part of the next decade but would go on to win gold in his return in 2015, earning him a spot in the coveted Triple Gold Club.

Then there’s Connor McDavid, who won gold in 2016 before earning serious MVP consideration two years later. That’s No. 97’s only men’s national team action to date, but he’ll have a chance to change that at the 4 Nations Face-Off next year.

Now, it’s Connor Bedard’s time to chase gold at the World Championship.

For an 18-year-old, Bedard has played quite a bit of hockey the past few years. He’s been in high demand, representing Canada in four previous international tournaments. He’s won gold at everything but the 2022 U-18 World Championship, with his 23 points at the 2023 World Juniors being one of the most dominant performances in tournament history.

It would have been completely understandable if Bedard decided to take a month off out of the spotlight and recuperate after a busy rookie season. But chasing gold means something to him.

Bedard has been on an absolute tear early on in the tournament, posting four goals and five points through his first two men’s national team games. Great Britain and Denmark don’t rank high on the competition scale, but Bedard has been Canada’s top player, just like he was in Chicago all season long.

Bedard’s linemates have been Nick Paul and Michael Bunting. Not exactly superstars, but they were the best line on the ice by a mile and it all came back to how Bedard held the fort. His speed, skill and hockey IQ are miles ahead of most players participating in this tournament.

Crosby and McDavid played crucial roles right away, just like Bedard. Even though he was listed as being on the fourth line against GB, he was near the top of the ice time charts and his two goals ultimately proved to be the difference. Just like in the NHL, he just seems to flip a switch and take over, and when that happens, very few players can even dream of stopping him.

The thing opponents that aren’t used to him are figuring out is that even if you can outskate him, which is rare, Bedard has the pure skill to win just about any battle thrown his way. And that’s his thing – he doesn’t need to outwork you because he’ll find other ways to wear you down and get on the board.

The fact that Bedard can play with just about anyone is what makes him elite. With all due respect to Paul and Bunting, he’s not exactly playing with elite talent. Bedard is having to make things happen on his own, and he is. His linemates deserve a ton of credit for playing as well as they have, but Bedard is one of the best players in this tournament thus far.

Canada has yet to play a truly dangerous opponent yet, with Australia next up on the docket on Tuesday before Thursday’s battle against Norway. But with a match against Finland on Saturday, Switzerland on Sunday and Czechia on Tuesday, that’s when they’ll need Connor Bedard to be Connor Bedard out there.

Crosby set the gold standard in points by an 18-year-old with his 16-point run in 2006. The overall level of competition has grown since then, but Bedard already has the point-per-game average advantage early on (2.5 versus 1.78). It’s still very early, but with how Bedard’s playing right now, he’s chasing history.

Nobody would have blamed Bedard for wanting to stay home and relax. He’s been in the spotlight since before he even became a teenager, so he’s never been to take things slow. Anything less than gold will be unacceptable for one of the game’s top young superstars.