Connor Bedard makes his NHL debut for the Chicago Blackhawks, on October 10, 2023. Photo via Scouting The Refs
Hockey is officially back! The 2023 NHL season kicked off last night with Opening Night, and it was jam-packed with action.
There were three games yesterday, each with major headlines. Firstly, the Nashville Predators took on the Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida, and it was a thriller. Nashville got off to a slow start, with only two shots in the first period, and a goal by Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov would make it 1-0 Lightning.
The Predators surged back in the second, outshooting Tampa 14-5. However, going into the third period, they still trailed by a goal. They would then proceed to tie the game three times in the third period in what was unfolding as a thriller, but Tampa would go on to win 5-3. Nashville will take on the Seattle Kraken in their next game, the Preds’ home opener.
Speaking of the Kraken, they were one of six teams to play on Opening Night, taking on the defending champions Vegas Golden Knights. It was a special occasion as the home opener saw the raising of the 2023 championship banner.
And it would continue to be smooth sailing for them as just seven minutes into the first period, Chandler Stephenson scored for Vegas. They would go on to edge the Kraken, 4-1. The 2023 Stanley Cup champions clearly have no mercy for their opponents, as they’ll continue to use sheer power in the hopes of repeating.
Bedard’s Debut
The final game of the night was the one arguably turning the most heads, and that was the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The game saw highly regarded number 1 overall draft pick Connor Bedard make his debut for the Blackhawks, and he did everything but score a goal. All of the attention was clearly on him and he shone in the spotlight, as his team etched the Penguins 4-2.
“[I was] just trying to win it, and I failed miserably,” Bedard said after the game. “But it was pretty cool. He’s a childhood hero of mine, like [sic] I’ve mentioned. It was a lot of fun.”
Bedard is the second-youngest player in franchise history to earn a point in a season opener. Meanwhile, despite the loss, the Penguins broke the record for longest consecutive trio on one team. The Pens’ trio of Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin took the ice for the 18th straight season. This broke the previous sports record held by the New York Yankees, which saw Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada take the field for 17 straight seasons.
“It’s just special. There’s no other way to put it,” Crosby said. “It’s not easy. There are so many factors. So much turnover with teams, especially nowadays where you see that it’s so uncommon that players can stay with the same team. The fact we were able to do that, it’s really special.”
The 2023 NHL season will continue tonight, with six more games and twelve more teams taking the ice. Then, the remaining teams will take to the ice tomorrow night, October 12. With this many headlines already, the hype has only just begun.
