There's a new king on the thrown. It takes a lot to say that in the sport of hockey. The players that make up the National Hockey League come from all corners of the world. The two countries that dominate the sport come from Canada and the United States. Among those American scorers, for the longest time, one name had stood on top of the list, that being Mike Modano. That changed over the weekend, as Modano was passed by Patrick Kane. With an assist on a goal over the weekend, Kane picked up career point 1,375, which passed Modano for most amongst US born players.
For a kid from Buffalo, that’s a long way and long time coming. For a kid taken by the Blackhawks with the first overall pick in 2007, that’s a heady accomplishment. Kane career spanned 19 years and counting, the first 16 in Chicago, followed by a cup of coffee stop in New York. The last three years and counting have been in Detroit, where he’s still producing. While not as prolific as it was in Chicago, Kane is still finding a way to put his name on the scoresheet. And now he stands alone atop the USA scoring list.
That in and of itself is a huge achievement, when you consider some of the great players this league has seen coming from America. Modano, Doug Weight, Jeremy Roenick, Joe Mullen, Pat LaFontaine, Phil Housley, Keith Tkachuk, Joe Pavelski, the list goes on and on. Now Kane stands on top of all of it. He’s one of the best pure playmakers of his generation, and he’s got the numbers to back it up. Three Cups, a playoff MVP award, a league MVP, more than 500 goals and 1,000 points. The list goes on and on. There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind he’s a lock for enshrinement in the hall of fame when all is said and done, and his number to hang in the rafters at the United Center.
Congratulations Patrick Kane on becoming the greatest American born scorer in NHL history!
