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.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
In a choice forced upon them by the Canadian government, four mothers have made the agonizing decision to forfeit an opportunity to repatriate their children from open air prisons in northeast Syria.
Statistics Canada has released its new report about the Canadians level of confidence in Canada’s institutions, finding that recent immigrants are more likely to express confidence in the media and parliament.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
Lawyers representing Toronto MP Han Dong served Global News with a libel notice on Friday over reports that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of the two Michaels, and that he was a 'witting affiliate' of Chinese interference networks – allegations that Dong denies.
A recent report from Royal LePage is predicting a drop in prices for Canadian cabins and cottages this year as demand softens from economic uncertainty and low housing stock.
Interim RCMP commissioner Michael Duheme says he would support the Criminal Code changes recommended in the Mass Casualty Commission report to implement stricter gun laws.
B.C.'s securities regulator has permanently banned a Vancouver lawyer from the financial markets after he was convicted in a U.S. court for his role in a US$34-million fraud.
After the RCMP commissioner admitted he didn't read the Mass Casualty Commission’s final recommendations, family members of those killed in the April 2020 tragedy say they have doubts the force will change.
A doctor named in a lawsuit after a Nova Scotia woman died in hospital following a long wait to see a physician has denied allegations from the family that he failed in his duties.
A Vancouver Island woman managed to capture something on video last Sunday that experts say is extremely rare. Maxine Gillette calls it a once in a lifetime experience.
A Vancouver Island musician and former church pastor will serve three months of house arrest, followed by 18 months of probation, after he was convicted of one count of sexual assault.
In one day, Ontario midwife Manavi Handa saw three patients who will have to pay thousands of dollars to be able to schedule a C-section beginning on Sunday.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they are working with Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
Montreal's seasonal parking restrictions go into effect Saturday. As of April 1, parking will be limited during certain hours to make way for street cleaning and maintenance operations. Drivers should pay close attention to street signs to determine when and where it's safe to park.
Police say the bodies of eight migrants have been retrieved from the waters off the Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne, straddling the Canada - U.S. border. The people whose bodies were recovered Thursday and Friday consisted of two families of Romanian and Indian origins who were likely trying to enter the U.S. illegally, police said Friday.
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
Kevin Garinger says it feels like the passage of time is inexplicable. The five years since a deadly bus crash changed his city, his hockey team and his life sometimes feel like a lifetime. Other times it feels like yesterday.
A northern Ontario man has been banned from licenced hunting and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to having more than six times the legal limit of grouse and obstructing conservation officers.
Ontario's guns and gangs team says with the help of police in Sudbury and Durham, it has disrupted a large drug trafficking operation, seizing 2.7 kilograms of cocaine and arresting six.
The sale has started of former Saskatchewan government liquor store buildings. The province got out of liquor retailing earlier this month and is disposing of all assets.
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
