Chicago Blackhawks

Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Corey Perry has denied rumors about his release from the team this week, saying in a statement that his departure from the club did not stem from involvement with any of his teammates or their family members.

Perry also said he has "started working with experts in the mental health and substance abuse fields" to discuss his struggles with alcohol.

The veteran forward said in a statement Thursday, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman:

The Blackhawks placed Perry, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the club in June, on unconditional waivers on Tuesday for the purpose of terminating his contract.

Chicago said in a statement at the time, per Friedman:

After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player's Contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments. As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately." 

Prior to his release, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters Saturday that Perry would be away from the team for "the foreseeable future" and that it was a management decision to keep him out of the lineup.

Davidson added that the team learned of a workplace incident involving Perry ahead of a Nov. 22 matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena and decided to pull him away from the team.

Perry's agent, Pat Morris, said that it was his client's decision to step away from the team "to attend to personal matters."

ESPN's Ryan S. Clark then reported Tuesday that an incident occurred involving Perry and a team employee prior to the game against the Blue Jackets.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff added Thursday that Perry was allegedly involved in "an alcohol-fueled incident" during an event that included team employees and corporate sponsors.

Perry appeared in 16 games for the Blackhawks this season, notching four goals and five assists for nine points.

Prior to joining the Blackhawks, he spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and also spent time with the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens. His best seasons came as a member of the Ducks from 2005 to '19, and he helped Anaheim capture the Stanley Cup in 2007.

It's unclear if the veteran intends to return to the NHL this season.

Corey Perry's time with the Chicago Blackhawks has come to an end.

The Blackhawks have placed Perry on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Chicago said in a statement, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman:

After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player's Contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments. As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately." 

Perry signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Blackhawks in June.

The 38-year-old notched four goals and five assists for nine points in 16 games before being mysteriously left out of the lineup for a Nov. 22 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters Saturday that Perry would be away from the team for "the foreseeable future." He added that it was management's decision to keep the veteran forward away from the club.

However, Perry's agent, Pat Morris, said in a statement Saturday that it was Perry's decision to step away from the franchise "to attend to personal matters."

The Blackhawks enter Tuesday's matchup against the Seattle Kraken eighth in the Central Division with a 6-13-0 record.

Perry spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning before signing with the Blackhawks as a free agent. He has also spent time with the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens over his 19-year career.

Perry's best seasons came when he was a member of the Ducks, which selected him in the first round of the 2003 draft, from 2005 to '19.

He notched 372 goals and 404 assists for 776 points in 988 games and also won the Stanley Cup with the franchise in 2007. His best season came in 2010-11 when he tallied 50 goals and 48 assists for 98 points in 82 games and won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer.

The Chicago Blackhawks announced Thursday that veteran winger Taylor Hall will undergo surgery on his right knee and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

Hall left the Blackhawks' Nov. 9 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning early due to a knee injury, and after missing the following two games, he returned to play on Nov. 18 and 19.

The Blackhawks held Hall out of Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets before deciding to shut him down for the season.

Hall was in the midst of his first season in Chicago following an offseason trade from the Boston Bruins.

Chicago acquired Hall in hopes that he could help in rookie No. 1 overall draft pick Connor Bedard's transition to the NHL.

Bedard has been as good as advertised during his debut campaign, recording 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in 17 games, although Hall's production was modest.

In 10 games, Hall registered two goals and two assists for four points to go along with a minus-3 rating.

Like Bedard, Hall entered the NHL with a ton of hype surrounding him, as he was the No. 1 overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL draft.

The 32-year-old forward has been a productive player throughout his career, but he has bounced around quite a bit, playing for the New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Bruins and Blackhawks since his initial six-year stint in Edmonton.

In addition to being a five-time All-Star, Hall won the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP in 2018 when he racked up 39 goals and 54 assists for 93 points.

Overall, Hall has played in 832 career regular-season games, producing 266 goals and 431 assists for 697 points.

With Hall on the shelf, the leadership void will have to be filled by other Blackhawks veterans such as Corey Perry, Nick Foligno, Tyler Johnson and Seth Jones.

Meanwhile, Bedard will continue to be the clear go-to player for a rebuilding Blackhawks team that is in last place in the Western Conference's Central Division with just 10 points.

Connor Bedard made Chicago Blackhawks history Thursday night.

Bedard, who turned 18 in July, became the youngest player in franchise history to score multiple goals in the same game during a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft earned First Star of the Game honors by factoring in on four of the Blackhawks' five goals.

Bedard recorded his two goals and two assists during the Blackhawks' "Moms' Trip" with his mother watching from the crowd.

Bedard now has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in the first 12 games of his NHL career, and hockey fans are starting to believe he is living up to the hype that surrounded his selection at the top of the 2023 draft.

Bedard's first goal of the game tied things up before a no-look pass on the rush to Tyler Johnson gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead late in the first period.

Bedard backhanded in another goal with eight seconds left in the frame to give Chicago a two-goal advantage.

The rookie helped the Blackhawks both paid their lead and add energy to the power play when he fed Corey Perry at the netfront for a tip-in insurance tally in the second period.

The Hawks' success while the Chicago Bears simultaneously struggled against the Carolina Panthers led some hockey fans to attempt to drawn in NFL viewers with Bedard.

Bedard and the Blackhawks will return to action Sunday with a road game against the Florida Panthers.

Ticket prices are extremely high for Connor Bedard's first game at the United Center, with fans flocking to see the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

The average ticket sold for the game is $209, the highest ticket price a Chicago Blackhawks game has generated in five years (via ESPN).

Bedard has already recorded three points in Chicago's five-game road trip to open the season, scoring the first goal of his NHL career on Oct. 11 against the Boston Bruins.

The 18-year-old acknowledged the magnitude of his home debut, per Tracey Myers of NHL.com.

"The home opener will be unreal," said Bedard. "Preseason games were nuts in there and you're not even allowed to have the upper bowl sold and everything, and it was crazy. I'm really looking forward to that, a full United Center. That'll be special."

With a record of 2-3 so far this season, Chicago currently sits at just sixth place in the Central Division. However, they'll have a chance to pick things up with four of their next six games at home.

This includes Bedard's debut, which will come against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the reigning Stanley Cup champions. The game is on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston will be one Connor Bedard never forgets.

The Chicago Blackhawks rookie scored his first NHL goal against the Boston Bruins at 5:37 of the first period to give his team an early 1-0 lead.

It comes after the 2023 No. 1 overall pick notched his first NHL point with an assist in Chicago's season opening 4-2 comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Bedard's goal, understandably, sent NHL fans into a frenzy:

Bedard is the NHL's most-hyped rookie since Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, and he's already living up to expectations through his first two games. Luckily for the Blackhawks, it certainly seems that they've found their next franchise star following the departures of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

While Bedard has a long way to go, this is only just the beginning of what should be a historic career.

Chicago Blackhawks rookie sensation Connor Bedard began his NHL career Tuesday with a special moment, taking the opening faceoff of his debut regular-season game against Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby.

Before referee Kelly Sutherland dropped the puck, he welcomed Crosby back for another season and welcomed Bedard to the NHL, which was a unique way of acknowledging one of the league's all-time greats and one of its future stars:

Per ESPN's Kristen Shilton, Bedard cracked a joke about losing the draw to Crosby before admitting how much the moment meant to him, saying: "[I was] just trying to win it, and I failed miserably. But it was pretty cool. He's a childhood hero of mine, like I've mentioned. It was a lot of fun."

Crosby, who is now 36 years of age, was the No. 1 overall pick way back in the 2005 NHL draft. He entered the league with a ton of hype surrounding him and has more than lived up to it.

In 1,191 career NHL regular-season games, Crosby has 551 goals and 952 assists for 1,503 points to his credit.

Crosby is also a three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner as league MVP, two-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the league's leading point scorer, two-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner as the league's top goal scorer and two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, cementing him as a future Hall of Famer.

Bedard has a long way to go before reaching those heights, but he started his career in successful fashion Tuesday.

In a game that saw Crosby score a goal to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead, Chicago scored four unanswered goals in the second and third periods to pull off the upset win.

Bedard finished with 21:29 of ice time, which was a team-high among forwards, he led the team with five shots on goal and had his first career assist on Chicago's opening goal by Ryan Donato.

If nothing else, Bedard showed that he belonged in the NHL at 18 years of age, and acquitted himself well against an iconic player in Crosby, who was drafted first overall just two weeks after Bedard was born.

Bedard won't have to wait long to build on his debut performance, as he and the Blackhawks will face the reigning Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins on the road Wednesday night.