How Connor Bedard Felt About Brad Marchand’s Agitation Attempt

Connor Bedard found himself involved in a little bit of everything Wednesday night at TD Garden.

One night after making his NHL debut in Pittsburgh, Bedard scored his first goal in the first period of the Blackhawks’ tilt with the Bruins. Later in Chicago’s eventual 3-1 loss, the 18-year-old was sent to the penalty box for the first time in his very young career.

But what really had social media buzzing about Bedard on Wednesday was when he found himself in the crosshairs of one of the league’s best agitators. Brad Marchand tried to get under Bedard’s skin by putting his stick under the center’s arm and skating him into the boards, but the 2023 No. 1 overall pick didn’t give in.

After the game, Bedard was asked if he thought the incident with Marchand was a “welcome to the NHL” moment.

“No, I don’t think so,” Bedard told reporters, per MassLive. “It was a pretty brief moment. Obviously, I took a penalty out of it. That’s what makes him so good is how slippery he is, and obviously, I kind of tripped him, I guess. But I don’t know. It’s just part of the game and I don’t know if that was kind of the moment I would say it was the welcome to the NHL.”

It won’t be long until Marchand and Bedard cross paths on the ice again. The Bruins are scheduled to make a trip to the Windy City on Oct. 24.