Throwback: When Connor Bedard got a shoutout from Drake and sparked 'curse' talk all over again

Drake posted Connor Bedard’s photo on his Instagram Story just hours before launching his “It’s All a Blur” tour with 21 Savage in Chicago. The caption was short: “Dialed in.”
That’s all it took.
Drake, a Toronto native and longtime hockey fan, knows how to stir things up. Bedard, still 17 at the time, had just been drafted No. 1 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s the franchise’s second top pick after Patrick Kane.
The photo wasn’t random. The United Center—home of the Blackhawks—was the opening venue for Drake’s tour. The shoutout felt like a passing of the torch between Canadian icons. One already a global superstar. The other, a teenager who hasn’t even turned 18 yet.
But there’s one catch: Bedard avoids social media. So someone else probably had to show him the post.
Then, around 2am, Drake followed up with another Chicago-themed Instagram story. This one was less flattering. He posted a photo of a Malört bottle and wrote: “There’s no way Chicago enjoys this…”
Most people outside of Illinois would agree.
Drake returned to the United Center the next night for his second show in Chicago. Fifty-four more dates were scheduled for the tour. But in sports circles, the buzz wasn’t about the music. It was about the curse.

Drake’s track record with sports is full of bad luck—for the athletes he backs.
The “Drake curse” started as a joke, but it’s now something athletes and fans take seriously. The theory: if Drake posts a photo with you, wears your jersey, or bets on your win—prepare for disaster.
He even joked about it himself, once wearing a sweatshirt with all four NFL Championship team logos on it. But the losses keep piling up.

In January 2024, Drake placed a $700K bet on UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland to beat Dricus Du Plessis.
Strickland lost the belt that night.

Drake bet $500K on Israel Adesanya to beat Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Not just win—but win by knockout.
Strickland dominated the fight. Adesanya lost his title.
Jake Paul took it personally.
Drake bet $1.2 million on Paul to win by KO against Tommy Fury. Fury won the fight by split decision.
Paul’s reaction? “Why do you do this to me?”

In 2019, Drake showed up to a Raptors game wearing a Sixers jersey.
Toronto won that game thanks to Kawhi Leonard’s now-iconic buzzer-beater.
Drake knew exactly what he was doing.
Read More: Pat Ferschweiler, inside the career of Western Michigan’s hockey coach