Paul Bissonnette once again DEFENDS himself against backlash over criticism of Connor Bedard, claims Blackhawks star will “thank him” one day

Paul Bissonnette found himself under backlash from some fans on social media for criticizing the playing style of Connor Bedard.

Paul Bissonnette once again DEFENDS himself against backlash over criticism of Connor Bedard, claims Blackhawks star will “thank him” one day

Connor Bedard and Paul Bissonnette (Image via X/Awful Announcing)

NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette has found himself in hot waters following criticism of Connor Bedard. The former NHLer along with his TNT crewmates recently called out the plays of the Chicago Blackhawks star against the Edmonton Oilers and labeled it as “pond hockey“.

These comments from him ignited a huge backlash from fans online. The 39-year-old has once again defended himself from this criticism and claimed that Bedard will “thank him” one day when he enters the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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One of the things that Bedard criticized himself over was the lack of winning face offs. In November, the 2023-24 Calder Trophy winner called his record over face-offs as “average”.

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Prior to the Winter Classic game, Bissonnette joined Bedard on the ice and took part in several face offs. The former Phoenix Coyotes star would recall this moment and claimed that the team will one day appreciate his efforts.

In another post on X, Paul Bissonnette seemingly called himself Bedard’s “real friend” and claimed that real friends tell them what they need to hear.

Connor Bedard will one day thank me in his Hockey Hall of Fame speech. Real friends don’t tell friends what they want to hear, they tell them what they need to hear.

Paul Bissonnette on X

Bedard on the other hand seemed unfazed by the comments of Paul Bissonnette and others. The youngster claimed that he could not care less about their criticism on his mistakes. He though admitted that he will not be angry over anyone if they said that he made a bad play.

NHL analyst comes into defense of Connor Bedard following intense criticism

Connor Bedard has been one of the hyped-up names in recent years. His big reputation has seen him receive huge criticism recently despite being one of the top stars of the team. An NHL analyst has now called out this “critics” of Bedard.

Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard (Image via Imago)

NHL analyst Frank Seravalli joined the CHSN on Friday. He would call the criticism of Bedard as strange and unnecessary from both the U.S. and the Canadian media.

I think the biggest thing that strikes me is that it’s odd. It almost seems like a concerted push from some of the national media. Now one person started, and now let’s all pile on, because that’s in vogue.

Frank Seravalli said

The analyst further claimed that he had not seen so much criticism over a 19-year-old player in almost two decades.

I can’t remember in almost two decades covering the NHL now such concerted criticism that seems to be directed after one player who is 19 years old, who, by the way, didn’t pick the generational label that’s been attached to him.

Frank Seravalli added

Bedard is currently the leading point scorer for his team. Despite a plus-minus rating of -22, the 19-year-old has managed to score 16 goals and set up 33 more to reach 49 points in 55 games.

His team though have not been able to capitalize on his performances. With a 17-31-7 record, the Blackhawks have lost four of their last five games and sit at the bottom of the Central Division standings.