
PITTSBURGH — As a longtime Blackhawks fan living just outside Cleveland, Keith Bracken is accustomed to making road trips to other Midwestern cities just to see the Hawks play.
Back in May, well before the NHL’s 2023-24 schedule release, he had already begun mentally preparing to drive to Pittsburgh this October. And that was for one reason and one reason only: to see Connor Bedard’s debut — against Sidney Crosby, no less — with his own eyes.