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Patrick Kane went through a range of emotions Monday night as he learned his grandfather, Donald Kane, had passed away just before the Blackhawks were to play the Los Angeles Kings. The 25-year-old winger had to collect himself and play on.
The Blackhawks star scored twice and added an assist in Chicago’s 5-3 victory. After his first goal, which gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead after Kane made a great play to open up Jonathan Quick, he pointed skyward, seemingly with tears in his eyes. His second goal put the game out of reach as he finished a terrific passing play from Patrick Sharp in the third period.
After the game, Kane got emotional while speaking with reporters about his performance and his close relationship with his grandfather.
"Tough day overall," Kane said. "He was one of my great friends growing up, and just a really sad day. It was important to get the win, but anytime you get someone taken away from you that's so close, that means so much - it's tough to hear that right before the game.
"He lived next door to me my whole childhood. We'd do things like play cards and hang out by the pool throughout the summers. He came to a lot of my hockey games, but more importantly, for him, he was worried about grades and being a good kid. It was a tough day, for sure."
Kane is well known for being a family-first kind of person and it is obvious he’s taking this hard. He has a very close relationship with his parents, as evidenced by his mother joining him in Switzerland during the NHL lockout, and Kane is always quick to talk about his sisters. It must be an awfully tough 24 hours for the Kane family.
With two goals against the Kings, Kane now has 27 on the season and his 63 points put him fourth in the league. He will join the U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team in just over a week’s time, but first he and his family will gather to mourn the loss of the man Kane called a great friend.
