Wayne Gretzky gives Connor Bedard the ultimate compliment after ‘Michigan’ goal originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Even hockey’s GOAT was impressed by Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard after he pulled off a rare and wildly unexpected feat during the team’s game agains the Blues Saturday.
Bedard turned heads after scoring a “Michigan” goal, in which he scooped the puck and wrapped it around the net to score his 13th of the season.
MORE: Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard submits Goal of Year candidate with unreal lacrosse goal
And it caught the attention of one of the greatest to ever play the game, Wayne Gretzky, who said he could never do what Bedard did in that moment.
“I couldn’t do what he did tonight,” Gretzky told Bally St.Louis. “That just wasn’t in my repertoire. I didn’t have the right kind of curve. Hully (Bobby Hull) could do it. I could never do what he did tonight. It was fun to watch. My daughter Emma is with me. And she goes, ‘Dad, did you ever do that?’ And I said ‘No, I could never do that.'”
Bedard used what’s referred to as a “high wrap” technique, where he scooped up the puck with his stick and forced it into the net. The technique looks like a lacrosse goal, where the ball sits in the net of the stick.
“There was just no one there, and just thought it was a good play, and yeah, kind of went for it,” Bedard said during an interview between periods.
The goal originated from Bill Armstrong, a minor league player for the Albany Devils. Trying it at practice, he wondered if he could use the move in a real game. He did. And he scored four goals with that trick.
Mike Legg, a winger for the Michigan Wolverines, heard about the move and used it himself in a 1996 NCAA Tournament game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It was named the “Goal of the Year” by Swedish magazine Inside Hockey. The stick Legg used was later donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It shouldn’t surprise Blackhawks fans that Bedard accomplished the goal. It’s eye-popping and shocking, of course. But Bedard has the talent to pull off those moves.
In fact, he tried to perform the same goal in the World Juniors a year ago to the day. He didn’t score it then, only because the goalie defended the move efficiently.
Bedard made it happen in the NHL though.
“He’s got quick hands and I didn’t even realize what happened until it went in,” coach Luke Richardson said. “That’s the vision that he has. He can see that when the puck is probably wobbling a little bit. He gets his blade under it and he can scoop it as he’s moving. He’s able to do those things.”
“Talented play and I think it shocked all of us,” St. Louis forward Robert Thomas said of Bedard’s goal. “That’s a hard play to stop and it takes a lot of skill to do that at that speed.”
The goal added a bullet point to his already robust, impressive résumé. Gretzky admitted the same about Bedard’s fantastic rookie season.
“Well, he’s been fun to watch. He’s probably better than we anticipated,” Gretzky said. “He’s not only an ambassador on the ice but he’s been tremendous off the ice for an 18-year-old young man. I’m happy for him. He’s got the right coach in Luke Richardson, the right organization.”
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Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
