In his first official reappearance with the Chicago Blackhawks, Patrick Kane came to praise the Detroit Red Wings.
And he kinda buried them, too.
He started on the right track. Kane acknowledged what his three seasons wearing the legendary winged wheel had meant to him.
“It was truly an honor to be a Red Wing, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” Kane said in a post on his X feed. “To be part of such a storied franchise and to be welcomed with open arms is something my family and I will never forget.”
Kane took time to thank the Ilitch family, owners of the Red Wings. He bid farewell to many of his longtime Detroit teammates.
“To Larks, Mo, Razor, Ras, Copper, JT, and Benny, thank you for being amazing teammates and trying to pull the most out of me and our team everyday,” Kane said.
Kane saved special praise for his closest ally in the Red Wings locker room.
“To be able to play with Alex DeBrincat again, one of my best friends in hockey, and watch our sons develop a similar friendship was incredible,” Kane said. “You’re an amazing player and person, and I cherished our time together on and off the ice.”
Then Kane began discussing his future with the Blackhawks, and well, things took a turn.
Kane saw Something in Blackhawks That Wasn’t There in Red Wings
It wasn’t so much what Kane said about the Red Wings that was the tell. It was the words he was attaching to the hopefulness he sees ahead for the Blackhawks.
“Obviously the story’s great, coming back to Chicago and being a Blackhawk again and kinda where I spend my summers and Chicago being my home, I think all that is great,” Kane said at his introductory press conference on his return to the Blackhawks.
“But I think, most importantly, it was about coming to a team where I think I can fit in well. A team that’s on the rise. A team that’s looking to make some big steps forward and try to make the playoffs.”
Bottom line? Kane sees a bright future in Chicago. A future that, evidently, he didn’t see in Detroit.