‘The Goonies,’ ‘Go Fish,’ ‘6-7’ and Cup dreams: Inside the Connor Bedard-Frank Nazar friendship – The Athletic

CALGARY — It’s a sunny and surprisingly mild day in Calgary, and the Blackhawks have a bonus day off on the back half of this six-city, 12-day road trip after some travel issues in Vancouver got them into town in the wee hours of the morning. A brief bit of team stretching in the hotel hallway was the only thing on the docket.

But before they ventured out into Cowtown for the afternoon, Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar — the twin young pillars of the Blackhawks’ rebuild — took the time to chat about their fast friendship, their lives as young stars and their dreams for Chicago.

Here’s our conversation, very lightly edited for length and clarity:

Lazerus: OK, I need to do some hard-hitting journalism here. Whose idea was the Halloween costumes?

Nazar: It’s a bit of both.

Bedard: Yeah, maybe your girl?

Nazar: It was a bit of both between both of us, trying to figure out something cool, something funny to do. Me, Connor and my girlfriend, Alexis. She was bringing up different ideas, and then we were brainstorming. And we wanted to add 6, 7 in there.

we’re just gonna leave this right here #67 pic.twitter.com/mGq44Mn7Tv

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 25, 2025

Lazerus: Aren’t you too old for 6, 7? I have a 10-year-old, she’s right in the wheelhouse of 6, 7.

Bedard: I think it’s any age.

Nazar: Eternal.

Lazerus: Do you know what it means? Because it doesn’t mean anything, right? Your entire generation, all your memes mean nothing; it’s so weird.

Bedard: Yeah, that one, I don’t know.

Lazerus: My older daughter was obsessed with knee surgery.

Nazar (laughs): That’s an OG, that one. That one’s older.

Lazerus: When you first got here, Connor, you were 18 years old on a team full of 30-something-year-old guys. How much different is it now, having people your own age to hang out with?

Bedard: Yeah, it’s different, for sure. My first year, myself and (Kevin Korchinski), then (Lukas Reichel) was probably the next youngest guy. After that, it got a bit older. But it was still fun. I enjoyed those groups. But yeah, it’s nice having guys your own age you can maybe relate to a little more. We’ve got a good balance of young guys with some old guys mixed in. We’re all pretty comfortable and we have a really tight group, so it’s been fun.

Lazerus: Without getting too psychological, it must have been a little isolating those first couple of years, right?

Bedard: I don’t know. The guys did a good job in including us in everything, making sure we’re with the team and doing stuff. There’s a lot of good memories from those guys, as well. But it’s been fun this year.

Lazerus: When did you guys meet?

Bedard and Nazar: Dev camp.

Nazar: Same team.

Bedard (laughs): Yeah, same team for workouts.

Nazar: No skating.

Bedard: So just that, and then when you finished college and came up. I’d always watch you and stuff when I started playing.

Lazerus: Did you ever play each other? U18s or anything like that?

Nazar: Yeah, we did.

Bedard: Yeah, you remember, unfortunately. We played each other once. They pumped us.

Nazar: I don’t think we played each other in minor. We were at the same tournaments, but we just wouldn’t happen to play each other.

Bedard: Yeah, it was just the one in Germany, U18s. 8-3?

Nazar: It was a good game for the U.S.

Bedard: We were picking from like four teams, because everyone was in the playoffs.

Nazar: Your guys’ first line was pretty stacked. You, (Adam) Fantilli (and Tanner Howe). Do you remember I gave you a good hit that game?

Bedard (laughs): No, I don’t. I would actually love to see that. It was a good first line, but you guys were loaded.

Nazar: Yeah, we had a good team.

Lazerus: Do you let yourselves imagine what it would be like if you’re on the U.S. and you’re on Canada in Milan? Lining up for a faceoff against each other? It’s within the realm of possibility.

Nazar: Obviously, that’d be unbelievable. It’d be so surreal. We compete in practice, obviously, so that makes it fun. We have a feeling of what that’s like. That’d be like everlasting bragging rights.

Lazerus: Exactly. Jonathan Toews still holds it over Patrick Kane from Vancouver.

Bedard: That’d be sweet. Try to focus on now, but one day, I feel like it should happen, and that’d be fun.

Lazerus: This is a long trip with a lot of downtime. When you’re not stuck talking to me, what do you guys do for fun?

Bedard: Just try to find something to do in the city. Some of us like to play cards in the hotel, or we play cards in the room a little bit.

Lazerus: What games?

Bedard: On the plane, it’s kind of like “Schnarps.” “13 Up and 13 Down,” it’s called. Then (both start giggling) we’ve been playing a little “Go Fish.”

Nazar: You know how to play?

Lazerus: I know how to play “Go Fish,” yes.

Nazar: Yeah, we don’t, really. (Both laugh.)

Lazerus: How tired do you get of Nick Foligno talking about “back in my day” and how hardcore hockey players were back then?

Nazar: No, I love it. Honestly, I think it’s hilarious. It shows how much he cares, how much he wants to help and give advice. He’s been coming over a little bit, hanging out, just chatting it up. He joined in on a “Go Fish” game one time. It’s been great to learn from him.

Lazerus: He told me he feels more like a big brother and less like Dad now. Is that fair?

Nazar: I think so. His voice changed with (first-year head coach Jeff Blashill). Blash coming in and being more strict, not afraid to speak up and talk, that leaves Fliggy to have more like the big brother role, and not …

Bedard: … Coach.

Nazar: Yeah, it frees him up a little bit.

Lazerus: Are you guys roommates on the road by choice or by assignment?

Bedard: Assignment, I guess. Everyone on their (entry-level contract) has a roommate, so they threw us together.

Lazerus: But you don’t get to pick?

Bedard: No, no. But it’s been good.

Nazar: I think they just knew (laughs).

Lazerus: Has it worked out? I’m sure you have some annoying habits. Kane and Toews, not to go back to them, but they hated each other for years. Not real hate, but like an old married couple kind of hate. They drove each other crazy.

Bedard: We get up at the same time.

Nazar: Similar alarms.

Bedard: One alarm.

Lazerus: One alarm between the two of you? That’s big in a relationship.

Nazar: Yeah, a little scary.

Bedard: Yours is so loud, though. Legit. Wake up scared every morning. No, it’s good. I’m never really annoyed by you too much.

Lazerus: Are you guys respectful, wearing headphones when you’re watching stuff on your iPads?

Bedard: No, no, that’s the one rule.

Nazar: You’ve got to share.

Bedard: Share what you’re watching.

Nazar: If you see something funny, (mimes turning his phone in Bedard’s direction).

Bedard: That’s basically our communication (both laugh) after 9 o’clock.

Nazar: Once it’s time for bed, we usually don’t talk; we just send each other videos.

Lazerus: So you’re not watching movies, you’re watching TikToks, basically.

Bedard: Yeah. We always say we should watch a movie.

Nazar: Didn’t we watch a movie the other day?

Bedard: We watched “The Goon.”

Nazar: Oh, “The Goonies.”

Lazerus: “The Goonies” is great!

Bedard: Yeah, but we were on our phones the whole time. But no, we’ve been talking about watching movies. We watch sports.

Blackhawks 🤝 Cubs

Chris Chelios, Nick Foligno, Frank Nazar, and Connor Bedard are at Wrigley Field supporting the Cubbies 🐻 pic.twitter.com/4WqXfqGitG

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 1, 2025

Lazerus: How online are you guys? Do you have Twitter burners?

Bedard: I don’t have Twitter, no. I just have my own Instagram account and TikTok.

Nazar: I don’t have Twitter, either. Same thing.

Lazerus: Is that something you’re warned against when you’re coming up? Just stay out of it?

Bedard: A little. I just never got Twitter. There’s no need for me to have it. Ended up working out.

Lazerus: If there’s something there you need to see, someone’s going to show it to you, I’m sure.

Bedard: Exactly, someone will send me it. That’s how I see stuff, or when you guys ask me about something. I never really care too much about that. You end up seeing stuff just if you have a phone. I don’t think there’s any point personally to having it.

Lazerus: How weird is that, that people just talk about you like they actually know you? Or they talk about your careers, they make assessments of you and what you are as a player after two games. People like me are coming in and writing things. What is that sensation like, just being in the public eye like that?

Nazar: It’s definitely a little weird. I’m sure it’s probably normal for him, since he was like 12. To me, it’s definitely just weird. Growing up, you always have the highest goal to play in the NHL and be a good player in the NHL. Once you finally make it, you have all these people posting and saying things and making articles and doing stories about you. It’s pretty amazing to see how many people care and set time out of their day to read stuff like that. It’s just something you don’t really think of too much when you’re younger.

Lazerus: I always tell myself I’m not going to compare you guys to Kane and Toews, and I’ve already done it twice in this discussion because I can’t help myself. But people make that comparison. You guys are the tentpoles, the pillars of the franchise at an early age. You’re putting up a lot of points, you’re playing an exciting brand of hockey. Do you welcome a comparison like that? Or is it like, ‘Don’t put that on me”?

Bedard: I don’t care. When you’re a fan, it’s fun. At the end of the day, we’re entertainment, as well. As a kid, you’re always debating who’s better or what duo. I look at it from a fan’s perspective, and I think that’s just fun — stupid arguments over what player’s better. If it’s comparing us to the good old days, or —

Lazerus: You and (Macklin) Celebrini.

Bedard: Yeah, exactly. It’s great for the game, stuff like that. It just grows the game, people shredding each other about guys they never met or don’t know. At the end of the day, we’re getting paid a lot of money to play a game, and we want fans to enjoy it and that’s part of it. I think that stuff’s fun. I don’t care, I don’t look at it. But for them, it’s good.

Lazerus: So which one’s Kane and which one’s Toews? I don’t think we’ve figured that out yet.

Nazar: I think it’s more like Frank and Connor (both laugh).

Lazerus: That’s probably smart. And for those guys, it was always Stan (Mikita) and Bobby (Hull).

Bedard: Yeah, there’s always going to be something (to compare it to). Hopefully, one day, it’s us.

Nazar: Yeah, that’s the goal.

Lazerus: Chicago’s the kind of city where you don’t get recognized that much, I imagine. Can you just go live your lives? Can you go grocery shopping for yourself, go see shows, go see movies?

Nazar: There’s been a few times, I’ll be walking around or in the grocery store and someone will come up, like, “Go Hawks.” I always appreciate something small like that. Small gestures. Like, “Hey man, big fan” or “Keep going,” “Light it up,” stuff like that. I don’t get recognized too much, so it’s nice to be able to walk around and really just do whatever I feel like.

Lazerus: It’s hard for me to explain to you guys what it was like from 2010-2015, when the Hawks just ran the city. You were in grade school when it happened. Do you ever allow yourself to dream about what it could be like down the road?

Bedard: I don’t know, you think about stuff like that, you always dream of being a good team and winning a Cup. But it’s more just a belief that it’s going to happen. I think we’ve taken some good strides early this year and I think the city’s really behind us right now. We’re so young and we’re just going to keep getting better. We’re going to be a really good team and we’re going to be able to have those opportunities. It’s more of an excitement than a dream.

Nazar: You’re saying “can you imagine,” but it’s already happened. I see clips of it all the time, going back in time, the Hawks winning three Cups and what the city’s like and the parades, just everyone going crazy. It’s something all of us are striving for and want. What’s it going to be like when something like that happens for us? With the bigger fan base now in hockey, and social media, I think it’s going to just take off. And who knows? It might be even crazier than what it was back then.

Lazerus (to Bedard): Your first couple of years here, all those dreams and expectations were on you. Does it feel more spread out now? Like it’s not just you out there because there are so many guys coming up and more on the way? Is the burden not so heavy now?

Bedard: I think I felt it more internally, with my own expectations of myself and of our team. There was stuff that we didn’t meet. But there’s a lot of guys coming up, like you said, and we just have so many good players and guys that on any given night — (Wednesday night, Tyler Bertuzzi) gets a hatty. Every game, someone’s stepping up. That’s exciting for us. Every game this year, we’ve been in it, and that’s because of our depth. That part’s exciting,

Lazerus: You’ve been nitpicked so much the last couple of years, the plus/minus, not scoring enough. Is there some validation in kind of shoving it back in everyone’s faces so far this year?

Bedard: I don’t know, it’s so early still. I was really excited for the year just because I know what I am and I know what I’m capable of being and what I’m capable of doing right now. But for me, it’s not really about what people think of me, it’s more what my teammates think and how I feel with my game, if I’m helping the team win. That’s the stuff that matters.

Lazerus (to Nazar): You getting on him about his contract yet?

Nazar: No, not at all.

Lazerus: You’ve got to get him locked up. That’s your job now.

Nazar: I know he’s going to lock up. Not worried.