The question is whether Team Canada, which is finalizing the roster for the 2026 Olympics, will take note and include the Chicago Blackhawks star center in the group heading to Milan in February.
Well, fans are certainly paying attention — and it’s become a double-edged sword these days.
Heading into Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, Bedard attracted the wrong kind of attention when a video showed him rebuffing some so-called fans looking for his autograph. In the now-viral video, Bedard is seen walking back from Denver’s Ball Arena with some of his teammates when a group of men come up to a group of people looking for Bedard to sign copies of The Hockey News.
“Connor, can you please sign a magazine for me?” one of the fans, who is recording the conversation, asks while holding up the 2023 issue of The Hockey News’ Draft Preview, which features Bedard on the cover. “Please, can you personalize it? You can personalize it. There are only three of them. Dude, I’ve never had your autograph before. You can personalize it.”
“I have to go,” Bedard replies, still walking away.
Eventually, Bedard gives up and puts his signature on the draft preview, as well as on another issue of The Hockey News, where he is on the cover.
Case closed.
Except that,
No doubt, Bedard has probably signed hundreds — if not thousands or millions — of autographs since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2023. You’d like to think that the majority of his autograph seekers are kids who look up to a 20-year-old. But the reality is that most autograph hunters are adult males who are selling autographed items in online auctions like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
Make no mistake, reselling autographs is a business.
When Phil Kessel was playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, I remember following him on the five-minute walk from the hotel to the arena in Tampa Bay and I was amazed at how aggressive the autograph hunters were. Some had nothing but Kessel Hockey cards. First, he signed something. But then he recognized the autograph givers and declined, saying, “I signed your card yesterday.”
In this example, the person seeking Bédard’s autograph made it clear that Bédard could “personalize” the autograph, even saying that Bédard could write “To Joanna”, which would then hurt the resale value. The person asking for autograph also says that this is the first time he has been asked for autograph.
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Both can be true. But at the same time, it’s not Bedard’s duty to fulfill every autograph request, especially when he’s not even at the rink. Like us he is also a human being. He has the right to his privacy. We don’t know if he’s already spent an hour or more signing autographs outside the rink. We don’t know whether these people were harassing him for his autograph before he even started recording.
That being said, Bedard eventually relented and signed two issues of The Hockey News for fans – and then got fired for it.
In other words, even when he’s trying to be nice, you still can’t win sometimes.
@TheGreatDanpy tweeted, “A grown man begging another grown man for his autograph is beyond embarrassing.”
@keebs82 tweeted, “Not a fan or a kid, an adult looking for something to sell, that’s a crook not a Bedard.”
@T_east8 tweeted, “Yeah, you’ve never been an athlete. These guys get 5-6 autographs a week and get mad when you refuse to sign. 2 hours later it’s on the internet for sale.”
@BtcPhenom tweeted, “He’s just trying to take a peaceful walk with his friends/family. You wouldn’t understand.”
@ivandemigoal tweeted, “I would argue that the person making the film shows zero humanity.”
What do you think?
Was Bedard wrong in the way he interacted with fans? Or were fans too impatient to demand Bedard sign their magazines?
Let us know in the comments below.
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