It’s weird for Patrick Kane too.
It dawned on him when he first arrived in Chicago.
“When you just fly back into the city, driving back downtown, seeing the skyline and everything like that, it hits home a little bit more,” he told reporters at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday morning.
Kane returned to Chicago for the first time as a Detroit Red Wing, with a range of new experiences awaiting him: staying at a Chicago hotel, seeing his former Chicago Blackhawks teammates, walking into the visitors locker room at the United Center.
“Someone was telling me yesterday not to just keep walking to the Blackhawks room,” Kane said. “You have to turn right at some point to go to the visitors room. It’ll be a little bit different. I’ve never been in that room except for one or two days in training camp, (when we) had the red and white scrimmage.
“That’ll be a little bit different but it’s just try to treat it like another road game. I know it isn’t, but hopefully settle in quickly and just play tonight.”
“When you fly back into the city, driving back downtown, see the skyline … it hits home a little bit more.”
—Patrick on returning to Chicago for the first time as a Detroit Red Wing pic.twitter.com/krAI4yUg6L
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 25, 2024
Sunday represents several milestones for Kane.
It’s his first game against the Hawks, his first time stepping into the United Center as the opposition and his first matchup against his heir apparent, Connor Bedard.
“I don’t know if I’m nervous,” Kane said. “I’m just more looking forward to everything, kind of excited about the whole night in general.”
Kane said he’ll have a contingent of 20 to 25 friends and relatives there.
This all comes against the backdrop of jersey retirement for Chris Chelios, the only player hockey heads can reasonably argue makes a slightly stronger case than Kane as the greatest American hockey player in history.
He’s happy to share the spotlight with Chelios: “It’s nice Cheli takes the burden off me a little bit.”
“Just knowing Cheli, too, he’s been such a big supporter of USA hockey,” Kane said. “Not only that but he’s been a great friend to me. Even when I was going through the whole process this summer, just checking in with him and talking to him about certain situations was very beneficial to me.
“So, for me, another friend is getting a great honor tonight. You add that on top of how much he’s meant to the Blackhawks and USA hockey and just the legend that he is and how long he played, it’s pretty cool. It kind of goes hand in hand.”
“Afterward he said he wanted to give us a 5-on-3 so we could make the playoffs that year. … Of course my mom’s like mad about it after, saying, ‘He’s the same age as me, what’s he doing picking on you?’”
—Patrick Kane on Chris Chelios cross-checking him in 2008 pic.twitter.com/IENeUzz20n
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 25, 2024
Kane could see his own No. 88 raised to the rafters one day, likely not long after he decides to hang up his jersey for the last time.
He and the Hawks agreed last season that after 16 seasons and three Stanley Cups together, their run was over.
He played his last home game on Feb. 21, 2023, against the Vegas Golden Knights. He scored two goals and added an assist in his final game as a Hawk — in Dallas.
They came to a mutually beneficial decision: The Hawks traded Kane to a playoff contender — the New York Rangers — and as part of the package, the Hawks received a 2023 second-round draft pick, which they used to select winger Martin Misiak.
“We were playing San Jose and I was just kind of getting ready for just playing another game and New York was able to speed up the process on a trade, so I had to make a decision within like 24 hours if I wanted to go or not and decided to take on the challenge, so it was all really quick,” Kane said.
“Even coming back to Chicago after that, (Jonathan Toews) was back here, and maybe someone else and I was skating and hanging out with them a little bit and thought I was going to be around for a couple more days and the trade went through pretty quick, so I pretty much was getting up and leaving.
“Everyone has different situations, whether free agency or trade or middle of the season, and that was kind of something a little bit different, so it’ll be nice to be back and just share the moment with everyone.”
Kane’s run with the Rangers ended with a first-round playoff loss to the New Jersey Devils.
In the aftermath, he had to make decisions about his future.
He had hip resurfacing surgery in June.
Kane weighed his options with several teams during his recovery, and on Nov. 28, he signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Red Wings, reuniting him with former Hawks linemate Alex DeBrincat.
Kane leaned on Chelios and others for advice.
He said, “I was just trying to learn more about the organization. … My time in Chicago was probably at an end when it ended and that’s just the way it was, so I don’t think anyone was really going to hold a grudge on the situation I was in.”
Kane’s signing came too late for him to be in playing shape for the Red Wings’ home game against the Hawks on Nov. 30.
It gave him enough time for his uniform — once the markings of a hated nemesis — to not feel so strange anymore.
“It’s getting pretty normal now,” Kane said. “I’ve been lucky to play on some teams with great jerseys and Detroit is right up there at the top of the league.
“It’s been great, my time there — not only playing with DeBrincat again but there’s a lot of young guys on the team that work hard. … It’s been great being in Detroit in the situation they’re in, trying to compete for a playoff spot and watching the standings every night and seeing where you are.”
Kane has racked up 11 goals and 15 assists in 26 games for a Red Wings team that’s 31-20-6 and in wild-card position heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Hawks.
“It’s been a fun ride,” Kane said. “Really happy with my decision and can’t say enough positive things about the organization.”
“Sharpie would always make fun of me and say that I was silver-spoon fed because I was a first overall pick and got all these opportunities. I would always tell him, ‘Hey, you should’ve worked harder when you were a kid.’”
—Patrick Kane on Patrick Sharp pic.twitter.com/0FD99889j2
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 25, 2024