With less than a second remaining on the clock and the St. Louis Blues desperately attempting to hold onto a one-goal lead, Brayden Schenn and Chicago Blackhawks' Connor Bedard met at the faceoff dot.
Schenn was attempting to do whatever he could to prevent Bedard from getting the puck to his net. Bedard, on the other hand, was doing whatever he could to guide the puck to the net and generate a quick chance. When the puck was dropped, it played out as such. Bedard attempted to shoot the puck off the draw, and Schenn attempted to tie up his stick and prevent the puck from advancing.
Unfortunately, it appeared that the pair's sticks and arms were tangled, and Bedard injured what looks to be his shoulder. The 20-year-old superstar immediately skated off the ice in plenty of discomfort, grabbing at his shoulder the entire way off.
In the Blackhawks' post-game press conference, coach Jeff Blashill described the incident as a freak accident, mentioning that Bedard won't play on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, and further updates will be provided on Monday.
Connor Bedard got injured and had to hurry to the locker room after this play to end the game pic.twitter.com/DzjpgWCgYa
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 13, 2025
It's awful news for Bedard and the Blackhawks. The Hawks are a far more competitive team this season, largely due to Bedard's emergence as a true superstar. He finished the game with two assists, adding to his impressive tally this season. He ranks tied for fourth in goals with 19 and tied for third in points with 44.
Additionally, Bedard is feverishly battling for a spot on Team Canada's Olympic squad. A long-term injury could spoil his chances of making the team.
While Blashill described it as a freak accident, Blackhawk fans and NHL fans in general weren't as kind to Schenn.
On social media, fans are calling for the Blackhawks to call up enforcers to target Schenn in their next matchup, asking for the Blues captain to be arrested and referring to the hit as a "scumbag move."
Every person is entitled to their own opinion, and no one wants to see another player get hurt, which makes it hard to imagine that Schenn intended to injure Bedard, rather than protect their one-goal lead.
The Blues and Blackhawks will meet again on Jan. 7, and in all likelihood, the Blackhawks will want Schenn to respond for injuring their franchise player. Whether it was intentional or not, or if Bedard is out long-term or not, Schenn will be expected to answer the bell.
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