Vancouver native Connor Bedard shared his thoughts on American Thanksgiving as the NHL prepares for a rare day off to celebrate the holiday on Thursday. Following the Chicago Blackhawks' impressive 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, Bedard expressed his surprise at the significance of Thanksgiving in the United States.
He noted:
"I'm pretty shocked, coming to the States, how big Thanksgiving is. In Canada, we're much more chill about it. Here, everyone's kids have a week off school. I'm excited to celebrate it, I guess?"
American Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and commemorates the colonial Pilgrims' harvest meal in 1621. Meanwhile, Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday in October and has been officially celebrated since November 1879.
This year, Connor Bedard has a lot to be thankful for as he finally broke a goal-scoring slump during the Blackhawks' matchup against the Stars.
Connor Bedard reacts to breaking goal drought vs Dallas Stars
After enduring a 12-game goal drought, Connor Bedard finally found the back of the net on Wednesday, helping to lift some pressure off his shoulders.
"I didn't care how one went in, to be completely honest. I would've taken it off the face," Bedard said about ending his goal-scoring drought."
Bedard has accumulated 16 points through four goals and 12 assists in 22 games for Chicago this season.
With the Blackhawks' 6-2 win, they improved their record to 8-12-2, sitting seventh in the Central Division with 18 points after 22 games.
Taylor Hall scored twice in the first period, putting the Hawks up 2-0. Connor Bedard then extended the lead to 3-0 with a powerplay goal just 47 seconds into the second period.
Three minutes later, Teuvo Teravainen added to the score, making it 4-0 for the Hawks. Colin Blackwell reduced the deficit to 4-1 for the Stars at 3:41, but Hall completed his fifth career hattrick, bringing the score to 5-1 for the home team.
At 13:18 of the second period, Louis Crevier scored the sixth goal for the Hawks before heading into the final period. Matt Duchene then scored on the powerplay at 13:43 of the final period, resulting in a final score of 6-1.
Bedard and the Blackhawks return to the ice on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. The puck at Xcel Energy Center drops at 11 p.m. ET.
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