Generations collide: Connor Bedard says his big hit on Patrick Kane was ‘just a finishing check’

CHICAGO — Ahead of the first-ever meeting, Connor Bedard spoke of Patrick Kane in reverent terms, saluting his place in Chicago Blackhawks lore as a living legend.

That doesn’t mean Bedard can’t give him a good smack during the game.

And that’s just what he did Sunday during the Hawks’ 3-2 overtime loss to Kane and his new team, the Detroit Red Wings.

Hawks forward Nick Foligno didn’t see it until coaches showed a clip later, but he joked that if he had noticed Bedard hitting Kane in real time, “I would’ve given him a little more props.”

But to Bedard, that hit was just a hit.

“I just finished a check,” Bedard said