Connor Bedard had a pretty rough time during his 2025-26 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was suffering from injury problems throughout the season, and as a result, he has decided not to represent Team Canada in the upcoming IIHF World Championship.
While Bedard is a young sensation who is constantly eager to represent his country in hockey. But, he does not believe this is the appropriate time for him to feel for the game and make impulsive decisions. On December 12, the 20-year-old suffered a shoulder injury while playing against the St. Louis Blues.
The injury was pretty serious, as it sidelined Connor Bedard for 12 games, or about 3-4 weeks. Despite his comeback, he was not totally fit, and it was later found that he had sustained a long-term injury. Bedard is still not fully healed, as he disclosed during a phone interview with the Athletic. According to the report, the center said,
“Kind of seeing obviously how your body’s feeling after the season and take a week or whatever. I feel pretty good for the most part. I think just talking to doctors and stuff, and obviously, given the injury I had, just a little more time to rehab. I wouldn’t say heal, but kind of rehab and get that strength and stuff would be beneficial. It’s kind of a big thought process behind it.”
Connor Bedard may have been a significant player for Team Canada. However, the team has shown hope that even without him, the squad will be able to continue their world championship campaign as planned.
Connor Bedard thinks it’s difficult to say “No” to the country
In the same interview, Connor Bedard noted how difficult it is for him to say no to Team Canada. He added that even though it is only the first week of May, he still misses playing the game, but he needs to rehab for the next four to five months. Bedard has explicitly stated that his comeback to the ice may not happen until next season.
According to the Athletic, Bedard added,
“When you get the opportunity (to play for Canada), it’s hard to say no. Like it’s May 1 and I already miss playing hockey games, dreading not being able to play games for four or five months. To say no to an opportunity where you get to play games and play for your country is hard. But at the end of the day, my number one focus is the Blackhawks and being the best player I can be come October or whatever the season starts. I feel like this is going to be beneficial to me in that way.”
Despite his absence from the ice, Bedard remains optimistic, claiming that this time off will allow him to learn something new that he will be able to utilize during games.
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