Patrick Kane spoke with the Detroit media for the first time Wednesday after signing a one-year contract with the Red Wings.
Unfortunately, Kane will not play on Thursday when the Blackhawks head to Detroit for the first time this season. But he's looking forward to playing them at the United Center on Feb. 25 --- the same night Chris Chelios will have his jersey hung in the rafters.
"Obviously, you have New York and Chicago on the schedule. It would've been nice to play those games," Kane said. "But I think it'll be a pretty special night in Chicago in late February there when [Chris] Chelios' jersey is going up. Hopefully, we make it up with that one."
On the subject of Chelios --- who also played for the Blackhawks before moving to the Red Wings --- Kane said he spoke with the legend two weeks ago.
According to Kane, they didn't talk about the rivalry as much as you'd expect.
"I talked to him a few times," Kane said of Chelios. "I just kind of asked him about the city, the situation, the organization, and how he liked it here. It never really came up too much about the Blackhawks-Red Wings rivalry, to be honest with you."
Kane's move to Detroit was as equally unsurprising as it was surprising. Detroit has long been rumored to be an interest of Kane's. But there were plenty of teams in the running, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres and the Colorado Avalanche.
Chicago Blackhawks
Alas, he made the move to the Blackhawks' most notorious rival, dating back to the 1980s. Kane said he believes that the rivalry has "faded" a bit. He also claimed the Blackhawks, in his day, admired the Red Wings.
"It was always a team we were striving to be," Kane said. "Even organizationally, it was always a team we were looking up to and striving to be. It's an incredible franchise. Incredible organization. I think the jersey is beautiful, too, even if you play against them and you hate 'em there for a while."
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There's the knife twist.
Kane's interest in Detroit involved several factors. He isn't unfamiliar with the area, having moved to Detroit when he was a freshman in high school. He played hockey in Ann Arbor, too.
Certainly, reuniting with Alex DeBrincat --- who signed a three-year deal with the Red Wings in the offseason --- played a factor. And the Red Wings' third-place standing in the Atlantic Division helps check the competitive box that Kane desired, but not strongly.
It's a weird sight seeing Kane don Detroit's red instead of the Blackhawks'. He said it was a strange feeling to put on the jersey at the team's morning skate.
But for the right opportunity, Kane pushed the rivalry to the side.
"For the right situation, sometimes you put that stuff to the side a bit," Kane said. "I loved my time in Chicago. I loved everything about being a Blackhawk. But sometimes you move on to different things and you look for different opportunities and situations. This seemed like the right one for me."
