Off the ice, their personalities mesh well. Nazar is very outgoing, mugging for fan videos during the Blackhawks’ season-opening red-carpet event and celebrating a goal in the midst of a scuffle against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 15. He’s the one usually smiling in the locker room after most practices and skates.
“He wakes up most days, and the sky is blue, which is awesome,” Blashill said. “Too many of us wake up and it’s cloudy, right? That guy wakes up, the sky’s blue.
“There’s a lot of pressure in this league, but I don’t care what job you’re working — don’t you want to go and enjoy it and be in that atmosphere where it’s fun to be around? He’s one of those guys that when you walk in the room, it’s fun to be around.”
Bedard showed a more reserved side when he was a rookie. That may have been because of the massive spotlight on him as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He said he’s more comfortable in his third season, and it’s showing with how much more at ease he is.
“He’s a funny guy,” Nazar said. “You have to bring it out of him to get to know him. We’re just enjoying a lot of the time getting dinner and hanging out. It’s a lot of fun (on the road). We try to play some games, get some good food and really just joke around.”
The future appears bright for the Blackhawks, considering how their young players are developing. That includes forwards Oliver Moore, 20, Colton Dach and Ryan Greene, both 22, and defenseman Artyom Levshunov, 20.
Bedard, 20, and Nazar, 21, are leading the way.
“There weren’t many of us when I was first called up (last season),” Nazar said of younger players. “Also trying to get to meet them, it was a tough part of the season. I was still trying to get a feel for things.
“This year, it just feels great coming to the rink having, I don’t know how many guys on the roster now, 25 friends, you know? It’s guys you’re going to laugh with, to battle with.”