"Ref got his feelings hurt": NHL fans react as Connor Bedard gets unsportsmanlike conduct for yelling at ref after a missed penalty call

NHL fans on social media reacted as Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard received a 2-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at the United Center.

The incident unfolded late in the third period when Connor Bedard broke away on a potential scoring chance. He was slashed on the glove by Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren just as he was about to shoot.

The referees missed the infraction entirely, waiving off any penalty and allowing play to continue. Frustrated, Connor Bedard immediately turned and yelled at the trailing referee and continued to do so from the bench before getting penalized.

The penalty turned out to be costly for the Blackhawks, as the Kraken capitalized on the power play to score the winning goal. Here's how fans on X (formerly called Twitter) reacted.

One tweeted:

"Refs in hockey are an absolute joke nowadays. They used to have thick skin and would let you speak your mind and go on your way, now it’s just b***h sh*t."

Another chimed in:

"Literally gets slashed ringer IN FRONT OF THE REF but gets called because the ref got his feelings hurt."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"He kind of swung his stick at stripes. You can tell the ref prairie dogs the first turd when Bernard ices his ankles, then stays clinched and then he uses his stick to point at the missed call. Boo that ref," a third fan posted. "NHL officiating is bad folks. That ref he yelled at didnt even make the call. It came from The ref at center ice. Its not a good look for the NHL," one X user opined. "NHL ref got his feelings hurt and impacted the games outcome unreal," another X user wrote. "Bedsy gotta chill with the stick there but holy missed call though," another chimed in.

Connor Bedard's Hawks fall to Kraken at United Center

On Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks (10-6-4) suffered a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken (10-5-5) at the United Center.

After a goalless first period, Tyler Bertuzzi opened the scoring for the Hawks to put them ahead 1-0 just 43 seconds into the second period. Teuvo Teravainen increased the lead to 2-0 after scoring on the power play at 10:07.

The Kraken bounced back in the third period. Tye Kartye cut the deficit to 2-1 at 5:09. Just over two minutes later, Shane Wright's goal tied it 2-2 for the Kraken. With less than three minutes remaining in the regulation, Jaden Schwartz scored the winner for Seattle on the power play.

Connor Bedard's Blackhawks' next game is against the Buffalo Sabres (7-9-4) on Friday.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta