Connor Bedard is Being Heavily Criticized for this Controversial Decision
Connor Bedard, the unanimous #1 overall pick in this June's NHL Entry Draft, has come under fire recently for one of his decisions leading up to the draft. The Canadian phenom has always had a clean track record, but this latest choice of his may turn some fans away from the future star.
No Bedard for Team Canada
We already reported some time ago that Connor Bedard would not be representing Canada at the IIHF's Men's World Championships. The move was met with mixed reactions at the time, with fans both understanding the decision, and feeling that he should be grateful for the opportunity.
Bedard's absence from Canada's u18 roster led many to believe he was setting up to make an appearance with the Men's team, but it appears that was never the plan for young Bedard.
With the Men's Worlds underway now in Finland, the absence of Bedard has drawn the attention of some of hockey's biggest pundits. The sizable gap left by Bedard was subsequently filled by the front runner for first overall this year, Adam Fantilli. This issue was brought up on the JiC show, where hockey commentators Jean-Charles Lajoie and Tony Marinaro debated Bedard's move.
Disagreeing with his colleague, Tony Marinaro immediately retorted.
"Yeah, and? What does he have to prove? When you're going on vacation at the end of June, are you going to come work here? He wants to rest like everyone else!"
"It's a missed opportunity," Lajoie replied.
"And what if he gets injured because he's done too much this year?" Marinaro fired back.
"Injure himself how? By breaking a leg? No, but what kind of injury would you want him to have? Do you really think something could happen that would jeopardize his career? It's true that the World Championship is really scary," "JiC" sarcastically insisted.
"I have absolutely no problem with his choice. He's always represented his country," Marinaro concluded.
Bedard's refusal to join Team Canada this spring had many wondering what the relationship between Bedard and the organization was like, with some speculating that a strong showing from Fantilli could even knock Bedard off of the top spot in this year's draft.
We think people are overreacting, but it's fun to read nonetheless.
As Seen on Habs Fanatics - Bedard has just made a controversial decision and he is being criticized
| POLL | ||
MAI 14 | 434 ANSWERS Connor Bedard is Being Heavily Criticized for this Controversial Decision Should Bedard have represented Canada at the Men's World Championship? | ||
| Yes | 228 | 52.5 % |
| No | 206 | 47.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 29, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lawson Crouse | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kirby Dach | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dominic James | 1 | - | 1 | |
| John Marino | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cam York | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Gage Goncalves | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||