Patrick Kane, The Greatest Chicago Blackhawk of All Time

Hockey NHL
Sarge
Agreed

The inevitable happened; Patrick Kane is now a member of the New York Rangers. For 16 years (what?) he has been the face of the Chicago Blackhawks and absolutely lived up to the hype of being the 1st draft pick of the 2007 NHL draft.

I’m not going to get into the trade but rather my favorite memories of watching Patrick Kane. It feels like a piece of my soul has left me, leaving an empty feeling. This is beyond cliche but it honestly was a privilege to see him play all these years. Although he will be 2nd in all-time scoring (for the Hawks), Patrick Kane is the greatest Chicago Blackhawk of all time.

It’s hard to fathom that he will never wear the iconic red sweater again. The entire Chicago Blackhawks fanbase didn’t want it to end this way but all good things come to an end I guess. Before I start crying, here are some of my favorite memories of 88.

The Stickhandling Video

I can’t be the only former shitty hockey player that remembers this video. At first, I thought it was fake because I couldn’t comprehend that someone could stickhandle like that. How in the actual fuck is he able to do that?! I honestly don’t even think Connor McDavid would look this good if he tried to re-make this video. Patty was, is, and always will be one of a kind.

2015-16 Hart Trophy Winning Season

Could not be stopped this year

The 2015-16 year started off ROUGH for Patrick Kane as he was accused of sexual assault in the offseason. I was living down in Chicago at this time and worked with a guy from Buffalo who said from the start that these allegations were total bullshit…because they were. Even the lawyer of the accuser dropped the case less than 48 hours after calling for an investigation. Not your ideal offseason but Showtime was out for fucking blood.

He played like he had something to prove and left it all on the ice. He had a 26-game point streak that season (is that good?) which was the longest streak since 1992 when Mats Sundin did it for the Quebec Nordiques. During this streak, he had 16 goals and 24 assists for a grand total of 40 points. Kane went on to win the Art Ross, Hart Memorial, and Ted Lindsay trophies at the end of the season. Pure domination and so goddamn fun to watch, which brings me to my next memory.

The Kane & Panarin Combo

Watching these two play together was hockey at its finest. It was like they were playing together their entire lives. I remember watching that first game against the New York Rangers. Panarin tied the game 1-1 in the 1st period with an assist to no other than Kaner. It took all of 4 seconds to see they had some serious chemistry.

This is just unfair

Not only did they have similar playing styles but the fact that they were opposite-handed made things that much cooler. They played on their opposite wings, Kane played right wing as a lefty and Panarin played left wing as a righty. It was like they were a superior version of the Sedin twins with more flare and better hair color, among other things. Although the playoffs were a total disaster that season, each regular season game was a must-watch. These guys even made the Sports Center Top Ten MULTIPLE TIMES. As a hockey player, that’s nearly impossible.

The Shootouts

#1 is an all-timer

To my knowledge, he was one of the first players to slow to a snail’s pace in the shootout. He’d lull the goalie to sleep and before you knew it the puck was in the back of the net. It had to be so frustrating as any netminder to go against Kane. There was nothing you could do. If you poke-checked, he would stickhandle around it, if you tried to wait him out, he’d wait longer. No matter what you did, you were screwed.

2010 Stanley Cup Clinching Goal

Predictable? Yes. However, as a diehard Blackhawks fan I’ll never forget this moment. I was upstairs at my parents’ house watching by myself, per usual. I probably lost 2 years of my lifespan during this game/series. You’re convinced every shot against your team is going to go in and vice versa.

Patty Kane does a lil shimmy shake toward the goal line and sneaks it 5-hole to clinch the Stanley Cup—the first one since 1961 or 49 years. There’s got to be no better feeling than scoring this type of goal. OT winner to win the Stanley Cup? That’s what all the kids practice on ODR’s across the world. You couldn’t draw it up any better if you tried.

The Definition of Clutch

Since you’re following 10K, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you’re a Minnesota Wild fan. Some, if not all, of you, probably despise him but you cannot deny that he was fucking clutch. I won’t get into how the Blackhawks sent the Wild home packing 3 years in a row, which Kane was a huge part of. As Big Cat from Pardon My Take would say, Patrick Kane has the clutch gene. There have been countless times over his career when he stepped up when his team needed him. The definition of clutch.

Friendly reminder that in a span of 6 years, Kaner was at the forefront of leading the Blackhawks to 3 Stanley Cups (should’ve been 4). Listed below are a few examples of him stepping up for his team. Totally worth spending the time to watch these even if you’re not a Blackhawks fan. Guy was just fucking nails.

Goin’ Out “Showtime” Style

By no means has this year been easy to watch. Shit, the last 4 seasons have sucked (feel bad for me). At times this year, it seemed as though he had “checked out” but it’s got to be tough to play alongside absolute scrubs. I mean, look at their roster and tell me you would have been happy.

In true “Showtime” fashion, Patrick Kane’s last few games with the Blackhawks were just like old times. He was BUZZIN’ around, making plays and scoring goals at will. And that’s the way I’m going to remember him as a Blackhawk. A dynamic, elite offensive player and the greatest Chicago Blackhawk of all time.

I know this didn’t count but I don’t care

I can’t believe I forgot to put Showtime on my best nicknames in sports blog. Ridiculous.