Patrick Kane

Minor and junior

When Kane was fourteen, he played junior hockey for the USA Bobcats, scoring many goals and earning the title of MVP. Kane relocated to Michigan where he lived with former NHL player Pat Verbeek, having been convinced to play for the Honeybaked AAA hockey club in Detroit. The club is a part of the Midwest Elite Hockey League. Kane's career with Honeybaked lasted for 3 years.

The London Knights drafted Kane in the 5th round (88 overall) in the 2004 Ontario Hockey League Midget Draft, but he chose not to play for the Knights until the 2006–07 season. Instead, Kane played for the United States U-18 National Team Development Program (NTDP), where he led the team in scoring with 102 points during the 2005–06 season. Playing on a line with Sergei Kostitsyn and Sam Gagner the following season with London, he amassed 145 points for the OHL scoring title and combined with Gagner and Kostitsyn for 394 points.

Kane and the Knights finished the post-season by losing in the OHL's Western Conference final to the Plymouth Whalers in a 4–1 best of 7 series. He finished his postseason with 10 goals and 21 assists for a total of 31 points in 16 games.

On April 27, 2007, Kane was announced as the winner of the Emms Family Award for the OHL rookie of the year. He was also named runner-up to John Tavares for the Red Tilson Trophy as league MVP.

NHL career

Going into the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Kane was ranked first 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 GM Dale Tallon announced that they had signed the right winger 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 made his NHL debut on October 4, 2007 against the Minnesota Wild, and had his first assist and first shootout goal, a game-winner, two days later against Dominik Hasek of the Detroit Red Wings. On October 19, 2007, he scored his first NHL regulation time goal on José Théodore of the Colorado Avalanche. With a quick start to his rookie campaign, Kane was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October on November 2, 2007, after tallying five goals and 11 assists in 12 games. On December 15, 2007, Kane and the Blackhawks visited the Buffalo Sabres for a regular season game. It was the first time Kane had come back to Buffalo as a pro hockey player. Kane received a special cheer from his hometown and a special ceremony was held before the game. The Blackhawks lost the game 3–1, 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 best rookie player, 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 playoffs. After recording 70 points in the regular season, Kane notched his first career hat trick in the 2009 playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round on May 11, 2009. The Blackhawks won the game 7–5, 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 14 points in 16 games as the Blackhawks were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the Detroit Red Wings.

In May 2009, the Chicago Tribune reported that Kane would be the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 10. In the final season of his initial rookie contract, Kane signed a 5-year, reported $31.5 million extension to remain with the Blackhawks on December 3, 2009. The deal was announced simultaneously with contract extensions to both Toews and defenseman Duncan Keith as well.

In the 2009–10 season, Kane finished with a career-high 88 points to rank ninth in the NHL in scoring. The Blackhawks finished first in the Central Division and second in the Western Conference. They advanced to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. On June 9, 2010, in game six of the Finals, Kane scored the overtime winner when he shot the puck under the pads of Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michael Leighton and into the net, winning the Blackhawks the Stanley Cup. The goal ended a 49-year Stanley Cup drought for the Blackhawks. It also made Kane the youngest player in NHL history to score a Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime; that record previously belonged to Bobby Orr in 1970. He was selected as an alternate captain for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.

In the 2012–13 season, Jonathan Toews tied Patrick Kane for the team lead in goals with 23. Kane finished the season as the team leader in assists (32) and points (55). Kane notched his second career postseason hat trick in the 2013 playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings in double overtime of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on June 8, 2013. That goal at 11:40 in double overtime advanced the team to the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins. It was Kane's second Stanley Cup Final appearance. The Blackhawks would win the Cup Finals in six games, and Kane contributed by scoring three goals (one in Game 4 and two in Game 5) to win the 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP. In addition, Kane was the first winger since Claude Lemieux in 1995, and the first number one overall draft pick since Mario Lemieux in 1992, to win the Conn Smythe.

Kane injured his left leg following a collision with Brenden Morrow in a game against the St. Louis Blues on March 19, 2014. He missed the remainder of the regular season but returned in the postseason. Kane returned in time to play in the postseason, where he recorded a team-high 20 points in 19 games with eight goals and 12 assists. As part of that run, on May 2, 2014, in Game 1 of Blackhawks' Western Conference Semifinals, Kane scored two goals, including the game-winning goal while coining his nickname "Showtime". On July 9, 2014, the Blackhawks announced that Kane and Jonathan Toews had both signed eight-year contract extensions, set to start running on July 1, 2015, with an annual average value of $10.5 million.

In the 2014–15 season, Kane emerged as one of the NHL's leading scorers. He was elected to the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio. He tallied 64 points (27 goals and 37 assists) through the regular season. He injured his left clavicle on February 24, 2015, after he was cross-checked into the boards while stumbling towards the ice by Alex Petrovic in a game against the Florida Panthers. Kane underwent surgery and was expected to miss twelve weeks. At the time of his injury, he was leading the NHL in points. He recovered earlier than initially projected, however, and returned to the Blackhawks at the start of the 2015 playoffs. Head Coach Joel Quenneville moved Kane to the Blackhawks' top line alongside Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad after the Anaheim Ducks took a 3–2 game lead in the Western Conference Finals. The trio combined for nine points over the final two games and propelled the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Finals. Kane helped the Blackhawks defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning by assisting on Duncan Keith's game-winning goal in Game 6 and scoring an insurance goal for his third Stanley Cup championship in six years. Kane finished the playoffs with 11 goals and 12 assists, tying Tampa Bay's Tyler Johnson with a playoff-high 23 points.

Following the offseason departures of Saad and Brad Richards, the Blackhawks acquired rookie winger Artemi Panarin and veteran center Artem Anisimov to join Kane on the second line for the 2015–16 season. Kane recorded a 26-game point streak between October and December, during which he tallied 16 goals and 24 assists. This was the longest streak by any US-born skater, and the longest point-streak in Blackhawks history. Kane was selected to the 2016 NHL All-Star Game as the captain of the Central Division team. On April 1, 2016, Kane reached the 40-goal mark for the first time in his NHL career when he scored a late goal in the second period of a 5–4 overtime victory against the Winnipeg Jets. On April 3, Kane scored his second hat trick in a 6–4 win against the Boston Bruins, reaching 100 points and becoming the first Blackhawks player to score 100 points in a season since Jeremy Roenick in 1993–94, and the first American NHL player to reach 100 points since Doug Weight in 1995–96. He ended the season with a league-high 106 points, winning the both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy; he is Chicago's first winner of either award since Stan Mikita scored 87 points in 1967–68 and is the first American player in NHL history to capture either trophy since they have been awarded. Kane also won the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the NHL's most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players Association.

Kane continued his success with Panarin during the 2016–17 NHL season. He finished the season with 89 points, finishing second in the NHL behind Connor McDavid and tied with Sidney Crosby. Kane was selected to play on the NHL’s Central Division team for the 2017 NHL All-Star Game. However, Kane and the Blackhawks were swept by the Nashville Predators during the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. Kane only tallied one goal and assist during the series. During the ensuing off-season, Panarin was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a four-player deal in exchange for Brandon Saad.

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 fifth.

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.

On October 24, 2012, Kane signed a contract to play for the Swiss club EHC Biel during the 2012–13 NHL lockout. In 20 NLA games Kane scored 13 goals and had 10 assists beside Tyler Seguin, the other lockout player in Biel. He played for HC Davos in the 2012 Spengler Cup. 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.

Personal life

Kane is the son of Patrick and Donna Kane. He has three sisters: Erica, Jessica, and Jacqueline. 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 has 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.

Kane has an endorsement deal with Bauer Hockey. He also appeared in commercials for McDonald's and Gatorade.

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.

Awards and achievements