Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

I didn't open the first link the first time. The young fella has everything going for him.
Most of all himself. Was picturing DesertDrifter while reading about Connor's father ..

The only person not gushing about Bedard is Bedard himself. The teenager is well-mannered and trained in dealing with the media, following the unwritten rules of hockey -- thou shalt not talk about thyself -- as if they are scripture. Good luck getting him to admit what the world has already assumed. Every conversation about Bedard's NHL future includes qualifiers such as "if I am lucky enough to get drafted."

[...]

Bedard said he gets his work ethic from his father, Tom, a logger in Vancouver.

"He would kind of get up at 3, 4 in the morning and head to work," Bedard said. "It was a three-hour drive, sometimes four. And then you're in the mountain, climbing up there, cutting down trees. It's a pretty physical job, and dangerous. He tells stories of people getting hurt. One time he broke his leg logging."

When Tom Bedard would return home, he'd drive his son to hockey practice. On weekends, it was tournaments.

"Doing all of that, he was probably pretty tired," Bedard said. "But he always had a positive attitude."

The most prescient lesson passed down from father to son: Be where your feet are.

"He always said to never wish time away," Bedard said. "He was always like, 'Just enjoy right now and where you are right now, and before you know it whatever you are looking forward to will have happened.'"

CONNOR BEDARD IS a student of the game. He says he watches Auston Matthews goals on YouTube, then tries to replicate aspects of his shot. He examines McDavid's skating, Patrick Kane's passing. But Bedard draws the most holistic inspiration from Crosby. Bedard studies Crosby's puck protection and 200-foot game on the ice, and watches Crosby's news conferences and social interactions off the ice.

"[Crosby is] just incredible," Bedard said. "You see him with kids, you see him with the media, and he never really makes a mistake. He carries himself so well, always. There's a humbleness to him. He doesn't love talking about himself. He always tries to involve his teammates, involve people that have helped him."

Which is exactly what Bedard tries to replicate.

Bedard said that if he gets a big NHL paycheck, he wants to thank his family for their support. "I'll probably get my mom something," Bedard said. "My dream is to pay off their house or get them a house. I hope I can do that one day."

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/37475395/connor-bedard-no-1-pick-nhl-draft-next-hockey-superstar