Athlete Bios
Hockey
Kane makes first Olympic appearance
Last Updated: Monday, February 8, 2010 | 3:32 PM ET
New York Times for CBC Sports
Patrick Kane made headlines last August after he and his cousin had an altercation with a taxi driver in Buffalo, New York. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)Patrick Kane, a slick-skating and high-scoring right-winger, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 National Hockey League draft, one of only four American players taken No. 1 overall since 1995.
He quickly became a key building block in the rejuvenation of the Chicago Blackhawks, making the team immediately and winning the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year in 2007-08. He narrowly beat out his teammate Jonathan Toews.
Kane scored 21 goals and 72 points as a rookie, following that with 25 goals and 70 points in 2008-09. In his rookie season, the Blackhawks finished above .500 for the first time in six seasons. In his second season, they made their first playoff appearance since 2002 and advanced to the second round before losing to the defending champion Detroit Red Wings.
The storybook career, however, gained an unfortunate chapter last August, when he and a cousin, James Kane, were arrested after an altercation with a Buffalo cab driver over a disputed late-night fare. While initially facing felony charges, the Kanes eventually pleaded guilty to noncriminal disorderly conduct and were ordered to apologize to the driver.
Shortly after the arrest, Kane participated in a USA Hockey orientation camp outside Chicago, where he spoke about the incident only in a statement he read to the news media.
"Because I put myself in the wrong place at the wrong time, I've caused a lot of pain for my family, my hometown of Buffalo, the city of Chicago, the Chicago Blackhawks and obviously the great fans we have here in Chicago," Kane said. "And for that part I sincerely apologize. Now it's time for me to move forward."
His potential Olympic teammates were supportive. "We think very highly of Patrick," the Olympic and NHL veteran Mike Modano said. "When you're young, you try to adjust and learn from these things. We'll support him and help him in any way."
Kane grew up in Buffalo, but at 14 moved to Detroit to play three seasons in the Midwest Elite Hockey League. He lived with Pat Verbeek, then an NHL player. In 2004, Kane was selected in the fifth round of the Ontario Hockey League draft, but he played a season for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in 2005-06. Then he joined the OHL's London Knights, where he won the league scoring title in his first season with 145 points.
