Patrick Kane To Make Red Wings Debut Tonight
Arguably the 2nd best US-born hockey player behind Mike Modano, Patrick Kane continues his HOF career as a Red Wing tonight against the San Jose Sharks at 7 PM at LCA.
- If he's able to get back to his prior form (or close to it), he will be the first hockey player to successfully come back after hip resurfacing surgery.
- The issue with others who have tried and failed is getting back to NHL game speed.
- He will be skating with Alex DeBrincat with whom he put up a lot of points for the Black Hawks several years ago. In '18-'19 they each scored over 40 goals.
- The Red Wings have exceeded all expectations and are in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division (by available points percentage) barely ahead of the Panthers and Leafs.
- The Wings are 2nd in scoring (91 goals for) in the NHL without any skater in the top 30 in scoring which speaks to how deep they are and what a great job Stevie Y did during free agency.
- The Sharks have the worst record (by points percentage) in the NHL.
- If they can stay healthy, this could be the year the Wings should break their playoff drought.
https://www.nhl.com/redwings/news/yzerman-on-kane-i-think-we-re-all-curious-to-see-how-he-does
December 7th, 2023 at 9:10 AM ^
Ugh, D- for grammar on that last point...
Edit: I just came across this article by Emily Kaplan which goes a little deeper into Kane's rehab in case anyone is interested:
https://www.espn.in/nhl/story/_/id/39046296/inside-patrick-kane-rehab-why-picked-detroit-red-wings
December 7th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
Username checks out?
December 7th, 2023 at 9:16 AM ^
I’d put ol’ Pat the Fountain second on the U.S. list. LaFontaine was amazing in his day.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:29 AM ^
Great player, indeed. Wasn't he in the same draft year as Stevie Y?
December 7th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
Yup, Patty went third, Stevie Y went fourth.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:54 AM ^
I’d put Chris Chelios up there, too. He’s definitely the best American defenseman of all time with Brian Leech behind him.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:18 AM ^
He was a true Chicago man. I never thought he would EVER be a Red Wing. A few years too late but will still be cool to see. I shouldnt be surprised though. Look what happened with Chelios.
December 7th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
Yeah, a few years too late, but definitely makes them better with him than without if he’s healthy. Excited to see how he looks in the winged wheel tonight.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:23 AM ^
kaner!
trust the yzer-plan. its working.
LGRW.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:24 AM ^
I think Kane deserves the title as greatest US player ever.
There was a good story about his surgery in the Athletic the other day. By all accounts from the doctors and team staff, he's physically back to where he was two years ago. That would be a huge boost to Detroit's power play.
Don't look now, but they're only 6 points away from the top of the league. Lyon has been a difference maker.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:31 AM ^
Yup, especially if he passes Modano in career points, which he should do if he can stay healthy for another couple of years.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:33 AM ^
Funny, with that last comment my point total was 6488 (and 64 is 8 squared).
(for those who haven't followed him, Kane wears #88)
December 7th, 2023 at 3:48 PM ^
Thanks to Babcock, Modano was held to 1499 regular season games in his career. What a douche nozzle.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:55 AM ^
I nicknamed him Snoop Lyon. Everytime he makes a big save I yell "SNOOOOP!" I don't think it will catch on...
December 7th, 2023 at 10:18 AM ^
I would laugh. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who remembers that Snoop Dogg changed his name briefly to Snoop Lion while he was going through his very short-lived reggae/rasta phase a while back. When I've mentioned it, I usually get blank stares and incredulous responses.
December 7th, 2023 at 11:00 AM ^
Now do Sean Combs.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:57 AM ^
KAAAAAAAAAAAANE!!!
December 7th, 2023 at 11:47 AM ^
Better cup photo
December 7th, 2023 at 9:32 AM ^
Well we won't find out his productivity ceiling against the sharks.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:40 AM ^
So they aren't good, but they have had a relatively nuts roadtrip (for them, this season).
In their first 10 road games they had 6(!) goals. They put up 6, 5 and 5 in their last three road games.
Seem to be playing a little better than the team that lost 10-1 to Vancouver.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:32 AM ^
My two cents (or 20), I don't care for the guy...
Police say the cab driver was beaten because he did not have 20 cents in change to give Kane, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft and the NHL rookie of the year the following year. The 62-year-old cab driver, identified as Jan Radecki, said he was punched, grabbed by the throat and had his glasses broken.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:42 AM ^
That's definitely not great, but that was also a one-time incident when he was 20 yo. By all accounts, he's kept his nose clean since then (yes, there was the sexual assault allegation, but that appears to have been a case of either extortion or regret or something else, with the mother trying to fabricate evidence)
This is a far cry from Bobby Hull, who was a serial spouse abuser.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:31 AM ^
I remember that and with the Hawks Wings rivalry at an all-time high I was quick to pile on the guy. It was an ugly incident. However, he was young and drunk, and it was a long time ago. He seems like he turned out to be a decent fella. I didn't care for him back then either. He was cocky and the hawks were winning a lot. This is about the time when Hossa ditched the wings after one season and went to Chicago.
Also, remember when we all hated Bertuzzi? He was a pain in the ass and he ended up being loved in Detroit.
Its 2023, I think Kane getting a shot here is pretty neat and his veteran presence with a once deadly right handed shot might help with a playoff run.
December 7th, 2023 at 3:52 PM ^
Not to mention Cheli...
December 7th, 2023 at 9:34 AM ^
My buddy and I grabbed 2 tickets as soon as the news dropped yesterday. Didn't want prices to shoot up. Can't wait to see Kane down at LCA tonight!
December 7th, 2023 at 10:12 AM ^
Kane is first on the list -- he's above modano / chelios
December 7th, 2023 at 10:17 AM ^
And Kane's first game as a Red Wing tonight is going to be on Bally Sports. WOOOOOO!!!
December 7th, 2023 at 11:18 AM ^
For years, we didn't have to wonder. Now with tech "advancements", some games are streaming only (like Tuesday's) and thus are unavailable to folks who don't have espn+. Ugh.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:24 AM ^
PSA - Duel in the D tickets on sale today with code BAND. On sale to general public tomorrow morning. I just grabbed 4 seats in the lower bowl - row 9!
December 7th, 2023 at 10:29 AM ^
It's funny that you mention Mike Modano because this feels a bit like Modano's swansong with the Wings, too.
I kinda think of it as stunt casting. There was the suspicion that signing all those middle of the road players in the off-season was part of an ownership-driven attempt to get the Wings into the playoffs no matter what long-term implications,simply for the $$$ now. Adding a guy like Kane - big name but high chance he's done soon if not already - doesn't really do much to dispel such notions.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
Except that the middle-of-the-road players are playing better than advertised. Whether it's chemistry or Lalonde's systems, something Stevie sees that we can't or all of the above, the Wings are playing very good hockey right now, competitive with the top teams in the East.
And if Kane is 90% of what he was we will be even better, deeper. And Steve has more room under the cap to add even more talent at the deadline if he wants.
Between Michigan, the Lions and now the Wings, this is shaping up to be the best year for Michigan sports fans in many years.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:32 AM ^
Unfortunately, so far it looks like Filip Zadina’s bet he placed on himself isn’t paying off.
December 7th, 2023 at 7:03 PM ^
5 points in 21 games (a whopping 0.24 ppg) and is -19 on a terrible SJS team. So much for filling the opponents' nets with pucks.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:33 AM ^
My Patrick Kane story.
I live in Chicago, in a house that happens to have been owned (a few owners ago) by Stan Bowman and his wife when he was in the Chicago front office (but before he was GM). When the Blackhawks drafted Kane, he was still 17 and his parents didn't want him living in Chicago on his own. Bowman volunteered a room in his basement, where Kane lived for a while. The neighbors report they used to see him in the kitchen area eating cereal in the morning. (They also report that Stan and his wife Sue were lovely people. We still occasionally get mail addressed to Sue - usually charity requests.)
So we have a room in the basement that we've dubbed the "Patrick Kane Room". Once we get the basement refinished (had some flooding damage last year) it will be my home office.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:45 AM ^
It will be interesting to see if he can return to being an impact player. It sounds like the next person to return to form after hip resurfacing will be the first.
December 7th, 2023 at 11:07 AM ^
I disliked Kane intensely circa 2009-13, when the Hawks were gradually supplanting the Wings as the class of the Western Conference, but those days are long gone. At this point I'd be pulling for his comeback regardless, but all the more so now that it's going to be in red and white. This team might still be a season or two away from real Cup contention (or maybe not, we shall see!) but I think the playoff drought definitely ends this year. Love what Stevie's doing, feel like his trajectory has been similar to Jim's: the old hero the fans wanted to come home and rescue the team, but maybe the turnaround hasn't been as quick as hoped for. Jim had a four-year head start on Stevie, hoping patience will be similarly rewarded soon. LGRW!
December 7th, 2023 at 11:41 AM ^
This has been an interesting -- and fun -- Wings season. At the price/term of the deal, and with the diligence the Wings did, Kaner was too good to pass up. It's win all around -- if he's really back, you are adding another point per game scorer, guy with serious playoff chops, etc. And if we don't catch the playoffs in a very tough East, you trade him at the deadline to someone who does. If he's not back, it's one year and he won't play much; Wings are not desperate for scoring. Wings need to be better 5 on 5 in terms of shots. Doubt they will sustain the shooting percentage all year, but some of that due to how well they move the puck. Goaltending is the hangup now -- Husso does not seem to have made the leap; getting excellent backup goaltending now but that issue needs to get sorted.
December 7th, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
These guys are a joy to watch. Lots of energy, smart passing, good goaltending and puck skills. After this long playoff drought, these guys look great...even on the road. DeBrincat and J.T. Compher were both excellent pick ups, or seem to be so far, and if DeBrincat and Kane can rediscover even some of their old chemistry, this offense could get even scarier. Larkin playing his usual tough hockey despite he and his wife losing their unborn baby recently. This team wasn't expected to arrive until possibly next season, so that makes this run all the more enjoyable.
December 7th, 2023 at 3:59 PM ^
Good goaltending? I’ve only watched a little bit of the Red Wings this year, but the Goaltending was not good.
December 7th, 2023 at 7:07 PM ^
Small sample size but Alex Lyon has been good in the five games he's played. The other goalies have been a bit of a liability.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:15 PM ^
but husso in goal tonight, giving up 4 goals in just over 4 minutes. sieve, sieve, sieve.
EDIT: it got worse. we lost 6-5, with husso letting in a goal with just over a minute left, and then another one 37 seconds in to OT. total choke job, and to a team that was 2-11 on the road up until tonight.
so yeah, our goaltending stinks to high heaven.
December 7th, 2023 at 11:29 PM ^
That end of the 2nd period was shite. I don't know if I've ever seen a lead built so quickly evaporate likewise.
December 7th, 2023 at 12:59 PM ^
Feed the Cat
December 7th, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Google search says it’s on espn+. How does everyone watch if it’s not on tv?
December 7th, 2023 at 4:31 PM ^
Last night's game was on ESPN+. Tonight's is on Bally Sports Detroit and NBCSCA, whatever that is.
Edit: NBC Sports California
December 7th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
I watch the BSD feed through ESPN+ on my Apple TV.
December 7th, 2023 at 6:24 PM ^
Since we have a hockey-related thread here, thought I'd mention that Travis Kelce admitted on his New Heights podcast that he was a University of Michigan hockey fan growing up. Just hockey, not football.
So, half a brain I guess.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:04 PM ^
JFC what an annoying game. I’ve hated the sharks since they beat the Wings in the 94 playoffs.
But man Husso is underwhelming and our D core isn’t so hot either.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:08 PM ^
This team gets a 4-0 lead and then the entire defense (including goaltending) acts like it just ate an entire package of Exlax.
Husso came into tonight's game with an .891 SV and a 3.48 GAA. You're going exactly nowhere with goaltending like that. Is Lyon the long term answer? Not sure. But I do know that Husso isn't getting it done this year, and this defense is abysmal with a sizeable lead.
This is likely a playoff team. But they're getting bombed in the 1st round with a back half like this.