NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika spoke with Red Wings forward Patrick Kane and his peers about the milestones which Kane might hit this upcoming season:
Patrick Kane laughed. Yeah, he needs 32 points to pass Mike Modano for the most in NHL history among players born in the United States, and that’s just one of the marks he could hit with the Detroit Red Wings this season.
“The first thing you think of is, if you play long enough, you’re going to reach some of these milestones, right?” the 36-year-old forward said at the NHL North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday.
Think about it more deeply, though, and you appreciate what Kane has put himself in position to accomplish. You can reach these milestones only if you play long enough at an elite level.
Kane might be the greatest American player of all time already. He has won the Stanley Cup three times, plus several individual awards. In 2016, he became the first player born in the United States to win the Hart Trophy when he was voted the NHL’s most valuable player.
With 1,343 points (492 goals, 851 assists) in 1,302 games, he’s within striking distance of Modano, who had 1,374 points (561 goals, 813 assists) in 1,499 games. He’s not far from Brett Hull, who played internationally for the United States and is listed as an American on NHL.com but was born in Canada. Hull had 1,391 points (741 goals, 650 assists) in 1,269 games.
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The way Kane is playing, he could hit all three milestones this season. He had 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists) in 72 games last season, but had 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 43 games after Detroit hired coach Todd McLellan on Dec. 26.
“Obviously, last year I wish I would have had more production,” he said. “I got off to a tough start. But I feel like I should be about a point-a-game guy. I always felt that way, so that’s kind of where the bar is for me. Listen, obviously the numbers are great. It’s kind of how you judge yourself as a player, especially when you’re an offensive guy. But for me, it’s just the love of the game. I love being on the ice. I love practicing. I love playing. I love being in a moment where the team needs to count on you and you need to step up, right? That’s the kind of thrill that drives me now. It’s not necessarily the numbers.”
Continued, and it’s really good stuff…
