Sportsnet’s Luke Fox accentuates the positive with the following Wings-related story among his “Quick Shifts“:
Following last Thursday’s ugly 4-1 loss to the rebuilding Flyers, Patrick Kane sat in his stall and called for a momentum-shifting homestand in Detroit.
“Whether it’s being hard on each other, keeping each other accountable, looking yourself in the mirror, make sure you’re playing better yourself — all those things come into account when the team is struggling,” Kane said.
The future Hall of Famer insists his health is in good shape following hip surgery, but he isn’t happy with his own performance since re-signing with the Red Wings as a free agent for $4 million.
At the time of his honest, hard self-evaluation, Kane ranked ninth among Wings in points (10) and eighth in goals (three). He was a minus-8. A reporter asked the 36-year-old where the “pop” in his game had gone.
“It’s definitely been missing, right?” Kane conceded. “I gotta be more demanding with the puck. I gotta find ways to get it on my stick and do what I can when I get it. But I don’t think I’ve had the puck enough this year. That’s on me to demand it, to get it back.”
I was struck by Kane’s candour and his resolve fielding some pointed questions. He didn’t duck the criticism, yet he stressed a belief that he could get his game back on the rails.
“The production hasn’t been there, so it’s been disappointing and probably a big reason for where we are as a team,” Kane said. “At this point, it’s like maybe you’re hoping for things to happen. It’s not a good thing. When things are going like that, you gotta go make it happen. So, let’s make tomorrow the night to do that.”
Continued; the better Kane goes, the better the Wings go.
