For Connor Bedard, things are looking up.
For starters, he’s picked up 31 points in 22 games, with 13 goals and a +9 mark on the ice. He’s led the Blackhawks to shocking success in the standings, with the team battling to a 10-8-4 record through 22 games despite suffering three straight losses in the past week.
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. A video of Bedard being confronted by a persistent autograph seeker in Buffalo went viral yesterday, sparking plenty of debate online over how far “autograph hounds” should be allowed to go when approaching athletes in public.
The clip, originally filmed on TikTok by a man who goes by Autograph Joe and reposted to X by another user, shows Bedard walking down the street with teammates when he’s approached by Autograph Joe holding a magazine with Bedard on the cover. After Bedard declines, he keeps pressing, insisting that Bedard personalize the signature. Bedard eventually stopped to scribble a quick “signature” on the magazines and kept moving.
Despite Bedard ultimately signing, the X post blasting him—claiming he showed “zero humanity”—immediately picked up traction. The framing triggered a wave of backlash, but not toward Bedard. Instead, fans overwhelmingly defended the 20-year-old star and criticized the autograph seeker.
Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio weighed in:
Other fans quickly jumped in with photos and stories of Bedard signing for them. The difference is that those fans weren’t grown men with binders, special pens, and recording glasses. Some comments ridiculed him for not signing, noting that it only takes a few seconds, but it seems to be more about the principle.
The irony is that Bedard eventually signed, and still went viral. Pretty much a lose-lose situation. It seems he has made a few more fans by turning down the autograph hound, but that proves it’s impossible to stay out of the spotlight entirely as a sports superstar. Such is the price of fame.
