Blackhawks' Connor Bedard takes well to media spotlight

Surrounded by a hoard of media members after the Blackhawks dropped their home opener Saturday, Connor Bedard was hit with the same question he heard in the morning:

Are you looking forward to things becoming more normal instead of all this hoopla before a game?

It's an understandable query considering everything that's been thrown at Bedard since camp began a month ago.

"Since before camp, it's been crazy," said Bedard, who opened the scoring against Vegas with a power-play goal just 90 seconds into the game. "But it's not something I look at as a negative at all. I'm really grateful to be in the position I am. There's very few people that get that opportunity (and) get to be as lucky.

"I'm looking at it like that. I'm living out a dream and I feel very fortunate for that."

Still, the demands can be taxing. In addition to learning the Hawks' system, becoming comfortable with teammates and facing the best competition in the world, Bedard is also the center of attention off the ice.

The Hawks' season-opening five-game road trip went through a quintet of hockey-crazed cities in Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal, Toronto and Colorado. In addition to chatting after practices, Bedard talked before and after almost every game. The Montreal media peppered him so impressively that Chicago-based reporters could barely get a word in.

Then - after arriving home in the wee hours Friday - Bedard barely had time to catch his breath before dealing with all the pomp and circumstance that goes along with the home opener.

"It is crazy and busy," Bedard continued. "I'm human too; I can get a little tired. But it's been good and I'm just enjoying it."

With this newfound stardom will come some negativity. Such was the case when the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons blasted the Hawks PR staff for not making Bedard available after last week's game.

"Bedard doesn't seem fazed by (the attention)," wrote Simmons. "The Blackhawks need to be less fazed themselves. There are times and places to hide Bedard after a win. Toronto on Monday wasn't one of them."

Let's be clear before continuing: Many of us have been upset when certain players aren't brought out at critical times.

Patrick Kane's final game at the United Center last February is at the top of the list. We didn't know it would be Kane's last contest with the Hawks, but it was a good bet - and it nearly ended in movie-like fashion with a game-winning goal in overtime. (The puck crossed the goal line a split second after the clock hit 0:00).

Yet, afterward Kane was nowhere to be found.

In Toronto last week, it's easy to see both sides.

• That was Bedard's only appearance in Toronto so it makes sense that Maple Leafs reporters would want to chat with him after the game.

• From the Hawks' perspective, Bedard did talk the day before after practice, so perhaps this was a good time to let him unwind away from the cameras.

I'm more inclined to agree with Simmons, however.

If the NHL truly wants to grow its game, it needs to put its stars in front of the cameras as often as possible.

The more media exposure, the better. The more clips, the better. The more catchy sound bites, the better.

Bottom line: The more Bedard, the better.