Amid intense media scrutiny, Patrick Kane spoke Thursday about an investigation surrounding him and an alleged assault at his New York home saying he's "confident" authorities will find he did "nothing wrong."
"I cannot apologize enough for the distraction this has caused my family, my teammates, this incredible organization, and of course our fans," Kane said during a press conference at the University of Notre Dame. "While I have too much respect for the legal process to comment on an ongoing matter, I am confident that once all the facts are brought to light I will be absolved of having done nothing wrong."
Despite a flurry of questions at the media briefing, Kane declined to comment further on the matter.
"I’d love to get in front of [the questions] and face them but this just isn’t the right time to do it," he said.
He added that he's excited to be back and "happy to see all my teammates."
"It seems like we have a fun weekend ahead of us," he said.
Chicago Blackhawks President and CEO John McDonough acknowledged that Kane "is dealing with a very serious situation," but said it was a "calculated and deliberate" decision to bring him to training camp this week.
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"Based on our discussions with his legal representatives who are very close to this matter we have decided to have Patrick join us for training camp here at the University of Notre Dame," he said.
McDonough added the situation has been a challenge for the organization.
"This hasn't been an easy situation to deal with, for any of us," he said. "This has weighed on all of us."
When asked if he thought his team would be affected by the investigation, however, Head Coach Joel Quenneville said, "I think we'll be fine."
Toews echoed those statements, saying he and the other players are focused on training camp and the season ahead.
"Of course to a certain degree nobody wanted this, but again we don’t want to get into those details right now," he said.
The press conference comes a day after the team confirmed Kane will be in attendance at training camp, marking the first public appearance since reports of the alleged assault.
A spokesman for the team Wednesday said "all players listed on the roster released are expected to attend camp."
In addition, Kane's agent, Pat Brisson, said Kane "is expected to report to the Blackhawks training camp on time, just as all other members of the Blackhawks current roster."
There were questions surrounding whether Kane would be in attendance amid reports of the investigation.
The Blackhawks will begin practices for the 2015-16 season at the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, with their first practice slated for Friday. The team will also conduct two more practices at the university on the 19th and 20th of the month before coming back to Chicago for their annual Training Camp Festival at the United Center on Sept. 21.
All three practices will be open to the public, with tickets going on sale at a later date for the workouts. This marks the third consecutive year the Chicago Blackhawks will open their training camp at the University of Notre Dame.
