All eyes on Connor Bedard as Calgary Hitmen host Regina Pats
All eyes on Connor Bedard as Calgary Hitmen host Regina Pats
Connor Bedard has arrived in Calgary ahead of what's expected to be a completely full Scotiabank Saddledome when the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats square off.
It might be his world-class shot that appears poised to take the NHL by storm, maybe it's his lights-out performance at the World Juniors that propelled Canada to its 20th gold medal, or perhaps it's his overall elite hockey sense that has him dominating the WHL.
Either way, there's no denying the impact the 17-year-old phenom is having on junior hockey out west.
Wednesday night's game against the Calgary Hitmen at the Scotiabank Saddledome will mark the final time the Regina Pats visit the stampede city this season. All of the 19,280-plus seats are expected to be full, something even the Calgary Flames have managed to do fewer than a handful of times this season.
"It's a lot of fun for us to play in front of, I don't know how many people, but it's a lot," Bedard told Calgary media Wednesday, admitting it'll be the biggest crowd he will have played in front of (so far).
"It's exciting for all of us to have that and I think that's something you don't really get tired of."
The upper levels of the Saddledome are generally closed off for WHL action but, given the high demand, they're making an exception for tonight and the building is nearly sold out.
Ticketmaster doesn't have a single pair of tickets available outside the press level, and with all due respect to the local club, that's all thanks to Bedard.
"It's great to play in front of big crowds, whatever the size of the rink. We still have a couple of injuries, but our team, we believe, is gaining some momentum," said John Paddock, Pats' head coach and general manager.
He's averaging 2.5 points per game this season, which a 17-year-old has only done one other time in WHL history.
Rob Brown accomplished the same feat in the 1985-86 season with the Kamloops Blazers when he notched 173 points in just 69 games.
The game has evolved substantially since then, and still, Bedard has 42 goals and 85 points in just 34 games. It's a stat line that is hard to wrap your head around. Wednesday night's game between the Pats and the Hitmen gets underway at 7 p.m.
The last time these two teams met, Bedard stole the show with four goals and two assists as Regina skated away with a 6-2 victory. However, Calgary remains six points ahead of the Pats, good for sixth place in the WHL Eastern Conference.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has announced that after nearly 24 hours of Liberal attempts to block it from happening, Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford will testify about foreign interference.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has just released a new report and its alarming conclusions are a must-read for anyone who cares about what kind of planet we’re going to leave to our kids, writes former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and to mark the occasion a Canadian organization launched a campaign showcasing older people living with the condition.
An Edmonton couple working to support first responders' mental health says the last few days have been very trying for local service members and their families.
A woman who lives across from the apartment where a 16-year-old shot and killed two Edmonton police constables has multiple bullet holes in her door, with a couple piercing her doorframe.
After a large fire spread from tents to a shuttered theatre on the city’s Downtown Eastside, Vancouver’s fire chief told reporters she was “incredibly frustrated” that more isn’t being done to prevent daily fires breaking out in the area.
Vancouver council will soon vote on a policy that could slow development in the Broadway Plan, one of the most significant long-term projects underway in the city.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
New Brunswick's finance minister is scheduled to table a provincial budget Tuesday as the government grapples with problems in health care and housing and the effects of a population surge.
Doctors, patients and advocates are uniting for a reminder to older British Columbians to request a free colon cancer screening test – as we mark National Colon Cancer Awareness month.
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
Rescuers have yet to recover any additional bodies from the wreck of a fire in Old Montreal last week. As of Tuesday morning, there were still six people missing. The body of one victim, a woman, was extracted on Sunday.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is scheduled to table the first budget of the Coalition Avenir Québec's second mandate this afternoon. Girard broke with tradition on Monday — instead of buying new shoes ahead of the budget, he announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City community centre.
A member of the city of Ottawa's board of health is speaking out about body shaming after receiving a letter that said she shouldn't serve on the board because of her weight.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Mixed reviews continue to roll in days after Experience Regina delivered new campaign slogans that lean into the double entendre of the capital city’s name.
Saskatchewan RCMP said themselves and Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) arrested and charged 138 motorists around the province under the criminal code for impaired driving in January and February.
