Chicago Blackhawks rookie sensation Connor Bedard began his NHL career Tuesday with a special moment, taking the opening faceoff of his debut regular-season game against Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby.
Before referee Kelly Sutherland dropped the puck, he welcomed Crosby back for another season and welcomed Bedard to the NHL, which was a unique way of acknowledging one of the league's all-time greats and one of its future stars:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport"Connor. Welcome to the NHL man."<br><br>This moment between the referee and No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard ud83dude4c <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BR_OpenIce</a> <br><br> <a href="https://t.co/7FRcZcV2aB">pic.twitter.com/7FRcZcV2aB</a>
Per ESPN's Kristen Shilton, Bedard cracked a joke about losing the draw to Crosby before admitting how much the moment meant to him, saying: "[I was] just trying to win it, and I failed miserably.