Connor Bedard - idk if it is fair to blame his parents or anything since so much goes into raising a professional athlete, but I thought this athletic article was really interesting
https://theathletic.com/4481273/2023/05/05/connor-bedard-nhl-draft-2023/
Connor applying for WHL exceptional status to play a year early (like what McDavid, Wright, and others had in the OHL) was something his mom didn't want him to do "Melanie Bedard shared her reservations with her son, but Connor told her how upset he’d be if she blocked his goals."
Connor talks to his dad before all of his games. When his grandfather died, the family decided that Connor should play anyways, so they all agreed not to tell him his grandfather was dead until after the game. After he found out, Connor turned down arrangements from his team to go home and be with his family “Grandpa would want me to play,” he said.
Not in this article, but he has also never had McDonalds.
There's also an interesting Toronto Star article about him: https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/opinion/2023/05/05/connor-bedard-wasnt-raised-to-be-a-hockey-phenom-he-made-that-decision-himself.html
Connor's dad is/was a logger and worked crazy hours in a dangerous setting
Melanie's quotes about applying for exceptional status are interesting here “And I said Connor, I don’t think you should do this. And I know it’s what you really want. I know. But I feel like as your mom I’m going to be taking something away from you that’s so special; just the ability to make stupid mistakes that we make, and have regret.” ... "And he said, ‘I don’t care if I go to a party,’” says Melanie. “‘This is something that I want. You can’t. As my mom you feel bad about that, but you don’t feel bad about taking away something that’s so important.’"
"Melanie [his mom] moved to Regina to be Connor’s billet the past two seasons, because nobody knew what it would be like for a kid of his calibre, and as Paddock puts it, “His whole preparations are based around perfection, and she’s the only one that knows it.”"
And during COVID, he and his sister moved to sweden so he would have someone when he played there. Apparently his sister (3 years older) would stay up all night doing her university classes, but still look after him, help with his homework, etc.
Connor also apparently already knows that he kinda has to be a robot because people will take whatever they can from him "He said, ‘You know, I’m kind of realizing in some ways I have to be just a robot. Because you know that certain people are just wanting you to say this one thing that they can pass on,’” says Melanie. “And I said to him, I feel kind of upset, but I’m also proud that you’re mature enough to be aware of that. Because it’s so important."
I need a full day to process these articles