Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks Are Making Things Worse

Jun 2, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; A detailed view of Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) helmet as he works out during media day the day before the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Kane is a man in the news for all the wrong reasons. He is accused of sexual battery for an incident, and allegations of the mysterious incident have dogged him since early August. The miserable situation is still up in the air as Kane’s legal camp is racing to come to some sort of settlement with the accuser. The Chicago Blackhawks think Patrick Kane could use some practice.

This is a ludicrous notion, but the Blackhawks are already going through with it. On Media Day on Thursday, Kane was trotted out in front of reporters to deliver a canned, legally non-committal statement discussing the “incredibly difficult time for many people” and his “respect for the legal process”. He insisted that “once all the facts are brought to light, I will be absolved.”

Yes, Patrick Kane has not been officially charged by the police, and yes, it appears Kane and the accuser are in talks for a settlement. But that changes nothing about the significance of the Blackhawks’ decision. The unfortunate fact is that the team invited back a player with an open rape investigation hanging over his head, ready to crash down at a moment’s notice. One new, convincing piece of evidence would be all it takes to turn this discomforting situation into a complete nightmare.

But despite the disgusting allegations brought against Kane, you can’t blame him too much for trying to restore an ounce of normalcy to his upside-down life. Kane is a hockey player, and being out on the ice with his teammates is probably a familiar pleasure. For their part, his Blackhawk teammates are trying their best to ignore the nagging “distraction” of a rape investigation against one of the players. And I don’t think we can blame them either, or be surprised: hockey players are paid to “help the team win”, not complain about teammate’s personal lives. They don’t get to have opinions on matters such as this.

Jun 2, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) works out during media day the day before the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The onus of blame is on the Blackhawks’ shoulders. The team is the NHL’s shining jewel of a franchise, with three Stanley Cups in the last five years, some of the most dynamic players on the ice, and some of the loudest fans in the crowd. Who better than them to take a moral stand and to show how far the league has come in dealing with personal conduct? Surely the days of Slava Voynov and Sheldon Souray are far behind in the NHL, right?

Apparently not.

When Kane was brought in front of the reporters on Thursday, he sat next to head coach Joel Quenneville, team president John McDonough, and general manager Stan Bowman. Rather than seeming supportive alongside Kane, the Blackhawks brass looked like three more people to blame for a situation they would rather not acknowledge. After statements from Kane and McDonough, any additional questions not related to hockey were avoided. Kane repeatedly muttered, “I appreciate the question,” before proceeding to dodge the questions. This was Kane’s way of saying, “I would appreciate it if you stop asking me these very difficult questions.” This was the Blackhawks’ way of saying, “we care more about winning then doing the right thing.”

I really hope that the investigation ends against Kane, that he settles the situation with his accuser, and that no charges are levied. He’s a great player, and if nothing really sinister happened that night then he deserves to move on with his life and continue to play hockey. But now we don’t know that, and he should be skating too close to “the line” for any team to be comfortable. He should wait, fix the situation off the ice, and come back when he deserves it. That time has not yet come.

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