Patrick Kane is back in a Chicago Blackhawks sweater, and it took him exactly one game to find the back of the net, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
The goal came in the season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at T-Mobile Arena. Chicago was chasing the game when Kane grabbed the puck, shuffled it from side to side on his stick, and finished a patient breakaway early in the third period to make it 3-2, per NHL.com.
“Just wanted to be patient with it, take my time, kind of make him make a move first and hang onto it,” Kane said, per NHL.com.
That was as close as the Blackhawks got. Vegas pulled away for a 5-2 win.
Kane still looked like himself. He put four shots on goal, logged 21:36 of ice time, and rang a post on a second-period power play. The goal was the 509th of his career and his 447th as a Blackhawk.
The IAHHM Take
This is the kind of homecoming that hits like a classic album getting a remaster. Kane won three Stanley Cups in Chicago, and ClutchPoints calls him the greatest American player to ever skate in the league.
He left during the 2022-23 season in a trade to the New York Rangers, then signed with the Detroit Red Wings and spent parts of three seasons there. Chicago bringing him back this summer felt like nostalgia on paper.
One game in, it looks like more than that. This Blackhawks team needs somebody who can create something out of nothing, and Kane did exactly that on opening night.
The loss stings, and the defense has work to do. But the vibes around the United Center just got a whole lot better.
So be honest: is Kane’s return a real boost for the Blackhawks, or just a feel-good farewell tour?
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Source: ClutchPoints, NHL.com
