Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a right winger for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Showtime", he was selected by the Blackhawks with the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft and initially played for them until February 2023, when he was traded to the New York Rangers. He has also played for the Detroit Red Wings. Kane has represented the United States at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Kane established himself as one of the most productive and decorated players of his era. He won the 2008 Calder Memorial Trophy for NHL's rookie of the year and played a crucial role in the Blackhawks' three championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Kane's notable achievements include winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs in 2013, and later becoming the first American-born player to secure the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy as the scoring champion in the 2015–16 NHL season.
Kane led all NHL players in scoring during the 2010s and was later named as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. He is considered one of the best American players of all time. Kane became the youngest American player to reach 1,000 career regular season points in 2020, and holds the record for the most career points by an American-born player.
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Early life
Patrick Kane was born to Donna and Patrick "Tiki" Kane in Buffalo, New York. Kane developed an early interest in hockey. His father was a season ticket holder for the Buffalo Sabres, and frequently took his family to games. Kane was inadvertently featured in the background of Sylvain Turgeon's 1994–95 Pinnacle trading card while attending a Sabres' game as a child with his father. Kane's favorite players while growing up were Pat Lafontaine and Joe Sakic. In addition to hockey, he played baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and basketball in grade and middle school.
Kane began playing hockey when he was seven years old. His father allowed Kane to practice stick-handling and shooting in their house's basement, going as far as to set up a miniature rink that featured nets and boards. Kane attended a training camp hosted by Darryl Belfry, and credits Belfry for helping develop his vision and play-making abilities.
Playing career
Minor and junior
Kane played for the Buffalo Saints 14U AAA hockey club. Donnie Harkins, the head coach of the Honeybaked 16U AAA hockey club, personally recruited Kane to join his team in Michigan after watching him play in a tournament. At the age of 14, Kane relocated to Detroit, Michigan, to play for Honeybaked during the 2003–04 season. He resided with former NHL player Pat Verbeek while living in Detroit, whom Kane regards as a mentor and one of his primary reasons for relocating. Honeybaked posted a 66–3–1 record that season, with Kane tallying 83 goals and 77 assists.
His success caught the attention of the London Knights, who drafted him in the fifth round, 88th overall, of the 2004 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Midget Draft. Kane did not join the team and instead played for the United States National Team Development Program (NTDP), which was based in Michigan. The US NTDP was initially hesitant to recruit Kane based on his short stature, describing him in a scouting report as, "a little meek—and still has the body of a 12-year-old". Kane spent the next two years playing for the US NTDP, where he was given the chance to train and play a bigger role on a more frequent basis. He reflected on the US NTDP by commenting, "The program really focuses on improving your body, you get a lot of practice time and you really learn how to play the game and how to treat yourself." He led the team in scoring with 102 points during the 2005–06 season, surpassing the previous record holder, Phil Kessel.
Kane joined the London Knights for the 2006–07 OHL season. He skated on a line with future NHL forwards Sergei Kostitsyn and Sam Gagner. Kane appeared in 58 games for Knights, where he recorded 62 goals and 83 assists, while combining with his linemates for 394 points. He accrued an additional 31 points in 16 playoff games as the Knights lost to the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL's Western Conference final. Kane won the Emms Family Award for the OHL rookie of the year, and was the runner-up to John Tavares for the Red Tilson Trophy as league MVP. Kane also won the Canadian Hockey League's (CHL) Top Prospect and Top Scorer awards. His 145 points is the fifth most for a rookie in CHL history. The Knights later retired Kane's No. 88 jersey on January 17, 2020.
Professional
Heading into the 2007 NHL entry draft, Kane was ranked second among North American prospects by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and was chosen first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The St. Louis Blues offered to trade the Blackhawks their 9th, 24th and 26th overall picks in the 2007 Draft in order to acquire Chicago's first overall selection and draft Kane. On July 25, 2007, Blackhawks' general manager Dale Tallon announced that they had signed Kane to a three-year contract. Kane threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game on June 25, 2007, at Wrigley Field. Kane later joined Denis Savard, the Blackhawks' coach, in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". Kane also threw the first pitch at a Buffalo Bisons (AAA) game in August. Kane chose to wear the No. 88 jersey as a reference to his birthyear, a tradition he practiced with his former teammates on the London Knights.
Kane made his NHL debut on October 4, 2007, against the Minnesota Wild. He recorded his first assist and first shootout goal (a game-winner) two days later against Dominik Hašek of the Detroit Red Wings. He scored his first NHL goal on October 19, beating José Théodore of the Colorado Avalanche. With a quick start to his rookie campaign, on November 2, Kane was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October after scoring 5 goals and 11 assists in 12 games. On December 15, Kane and the Blackhawks visited the Buffalo Sabres to mark Kane's first return to Buffalo as a professional hockey player. Kane received a special cheer from his hometown and a special ceremony was held before the game. The Blackhawks lost the game three–1, with Kane scoring their lone goal. Kane finished his first NHL campaign atop the rookie scoring race with 72 points. On June 12, 2008, he received the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL's rookie of the year, finishing ahead of teammate Jonathan Toews and Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Bäckström.
The following season, Kane and Toews helped lead a rejuvenated Blackhawks team back to the Stanley Cup playoffs. After recording 70 points in the regular season and eliminating the fifth-seeded Calgary Flames in the opening round of the 2009 playoffs, Kane scored his first career hat-trick in game six of the second round against the third-seeded Vancouver Canucks on May 11, 2009. The Blackhawks won the game seven–5 for a 4–2 victory in the series, clinching their spot in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1995. After the game, Kane told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was "fired up" after Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell claimed that Kane "couldn't play five-on-five". He finished his first NHL playoffs with nine goals, five assists for 14 points in 16 out of 17 games as the Blackhawks were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the defending Stanley Cup champion and second-seeded Detroit Red Wings.
Player profile
Kane is regarded as one of the best American-born players of all time. His success is attributed to his vision, accurate shooting, deceptive stick handling, and high hockey IQ. Kane leverages these skills to anticipate how hockey plays will develop and then positions himself to generate offensive opportunities. Pavel Barber commented on Kane's elusiveness, "They call him 'The Waterbug' because he's so good at entering the zone, just weaving, and cutting through and setting up." Kane is also regarded as a "sniper" due to his accurate wrist shot, as well as a playmaker for his passing skills. Kane reflected, "I love scoring for the fans, for the team, for myself. That's not to say that I won't pass if I see a teammate in a better scoring position. But I like to score."
He is an offensive-minded forward. Despite his elite goal scoring and playmaking abilities, Kane has been considered a liability on defense. He practiced generating takeaways and playing defense during his later years in Chicago. Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville, who played in the NHL as a defenseman during his own playing career before coaching, enticed Kane to play more two-way hockey by telling him during the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, "You're at your best when you have the puck, and we need you to play [defense] if you want to get the puck back from the other team." An analytical model rated Kane as one of the worst defensive players in the NHL during the 2023 off-season.
Kane is also known for his eccentric goal scoring celebrations. Upon scoring the championship-clinching goal in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, Kane threw his gloves in the air and began celebrating while most players were still confused or waiting for the referee to officially signal a goal. He performed a "heartbreaker" celebration after scoring the series-winning goal against the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in June 2013, which would later be performed by Connor Bedard after scoring an over-time game-winning goal against Slovakia in January 2023. During the first round in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kane performed a goal celebration after scoring the game winner against the St. Louis Blues, where he pretended to use a payphone. In 2015, he raised his hands and began shouting "Showtime" after scoring a highlight-reel goal against the Minnesota Wild in the second round of the playoffs.
Kane chewed his mouth guard while skating during his early years in the NHL, which became part of his signature on-ice appearance. One of his game-used mouth guards was auctioned for $4,000 at a Blackhawks charity auction, while another is showcased in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Other American-born skaters, including Clayton Keller, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk have also followed suit and chewed their mouth guards while playing.
International play
Kane has competed internationally for the United States. He first represented the United States in the 2006 IIHF U18 Championships, in which he led the tournament in scoring with 12 points (five goals and seven assists) in only six games played. His two points per game pace led the United States to the gold medal and earned him individual all-star team honors.
The next year, he moved onto the United States' U20 team at the 2007 World Juniors. He was one of only three players on the team playing major junior hockey. He continued his international pace with five goals and four assists in seven games to finish second in tournament scoring and, once again, garner an all-star team selection. His team did not perform as well as his U18 team, but they did manage to go home with the bronze medal. After making the NHL and being unable to play in the 2008 WJC due to professional commitments with the Chicago Blackhawks, he played in the 2008 World Championships. He posted 10 points (three goals and seven assists) in seven games as the United States finished sixth.
Kane was selected to represent the United States in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, where he and the team won the silver medal. During the tournament he scored three goals and two assists in six games. Kane represented the United States again in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. He missed two penalty shots in a loss against Finland in the bronze medal game.
On April 9, 2018, Kane was named the captain of Team USA for the 2018 IIHF World Championship. Kane scored two goals including a game winner in a 3–2 victory against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. The U.S. team finished the competition with the bronze medal after losing to Sweden in the semifinals but beating Canada. Kane finished the championships as the tournament's leading scorer with eight goals and 12 assists in 10 games. He was named the Most Valuable Player of 2018 Men's World Championship.
Personal life
Kane has three younger sisters. He attended Detroit Country Day School but left before graduating.
During the offseason, he lives in Hamburg, New York in a house on the shores of Lake Erie, which he purchased in March 2012. Kane lived with Stan Bowman, then an assistant general manager for the Blackhawks, when he first arrived in Chicago. Kane resided at the Trump International Hotel and Tower during the NHL season in a two-bedroom condo that he acquired in September 2008. However, Kane listed his Trump Tower condo for sale in the summer of 2016. He purchased a mansion in Lake Forest, Illinois in 2023.
Kane has an endorsement deal with Bauer Hockey. He also appeared in commercials for McDonald's and Gatorade.
Kane and his girlfriend have one son together, born in November 2020.
Charities
Kane participated in the Denis Savard Charity Golf Tournament in 2016. He played in an ice hockey game, Champs for Charity, which raised $323,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana in 2012.
Misdemeanor charges
On August 9, 2009, Kane and his cousin, James M. Kane, were arrested in Buffalo. According to a police report, Kane was apprehended around 5:00 a.m. after allegedly punching cab driver Jan Radecki when he claimed to not have proper change for their trip fare. Kane and his cousin's cab fare came out to be $14.80, and they gave him $15.00.
Kane was charged with second-degree robbery, fourth-degree criminal mischief, and theft of services. He pleaded not guilty. On August 17, Kane apologized for the distress he caused, saying he had been "at the wrong place at the wrong time," and mentioned his family, the Chicago Blackhawks organization, and their fan base—but not Radecki. Kane and his cousin appeared before a grand jury on August 19. While they were cleared of any felony charges, the two were still indicted on less severe misdemeanor assault, theft, and harassment charges. Kane and his cousin reiterated their not guilty pleas when appearing in court the next day. On August 27, Kane and cousin pleaded guilty to noncriminal disorderly conduct charges, and were both given conditional discharges, avoiding any penalties if they stayed out of trouble for a year, and also ordered to apologize to Radecki.
2015 police investigation
On August 6, 2015, The Buffalo News reported that Kane was the subject of a sexual assault investigation by police in Hamburg, New York, in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred the previous weekend. The Erie County District Attorney's Office later declined to press charges against him, stating that the complainant's allegation was not sufficiently substantiated by credible evidence. Prior to office's determination that it would not press charges, the mother of his accuser orchestrated a hoax in which she attempted to mislead the public into an impression that critical evidence had been tampered with.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Bold indicates led league