The Blackhawks Impossible Decision on Patrick Kane
This is not an article on what happened between Patrick Kane and the potential victim that has accused him of raping her. No, this is about the impossible decisions that lie ahead for the Chicago Blackhawks. Decisions that, although they may or may not have already been made, will certainly cause many heated discussions within the Blackhawks organization, Blackhawks Fan groups, and the entire NHL community as a whole. These are certainly stressful times for Stan Bowman and company, and no one envies the position they find themselves in currently.
Several media outlets and sports blogs have suggested that the team is ready to move on without the talented winger, but both keeping or ridding themselves of Kane will be met with resistance. Fans of the star player will be hard-pressed to understand the reasoning behind moving on from Kane, while others will be extremely critical of the organization if they keep Kane around even if strong evidence against him is brought forth.
The NHL themselves do not have a proven track record on the way they handle these situations, deciding to punish in some instances while some have been left alone. The Blackhawks themselves have also been wishy washy when deciding upon questionable character instances, hiring priven wife beaters while firing someone who made some questionable jokes.
NHL superstar, and possibly the best Blackhawk of all-time, Bobby Hull, has been pointed at numerous times for domestic violence in the past. One ex-wife accused him of threatening her at gunpoint and although the Blackhawks were aware of the multiple victims, they still welcomed Hull back as an official representative.
This is the same organization which, as 670 The Score’s Dan Bernstein points out, chairman Rocky Wirtz wrote a letter to CSN Chicago requesting the immediate removal of Susannah Collins, citing YouTube videos that used questionable humor. His request was granted as Collins was almost immediately granted. Yes, videos for Sports Nutz which often had sexual suggestive or potentially racist themes. While some believe her dismissal had more to do with her slip-up on air in saying, “a tremendous amount of sex” instead of success, nonetheless her dismissal was curious since another CSN colleague, Kendall Gill was only suspended for an assault another employee.
Now looking at the Patrick Kane situation there is no evidence to this point, he hasn’t even been charged, and if he were to be traded or cut by the organization fans would cite a knee-jerk reaction to accusations by an unknown woman. But to speak to Barry Rosner of the Daily Herald’s point, the Blackhawks have been painted into a corner when it comes to Patrick Kane. While Rozner mentions the “least important part of the Patrick Kane story is how it will affect the Blackhawks,” the question should start to be asked since we are just six weeks away from the hockey season.
What the Blackhawks do now will certainly be under a microscope, from a number of onlookers. It has been well documented that Kane was on his last strike from the Blackhawks, resulting from an incident in Buffalo with a local cab driver, as well as the disgusting display Kane was guilty of in Madison on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Whatever the decision, it doesn’t appear that the Blackhawks are letting on to what they plan on doing.
The NHL themselves don’t give much direction for instances like this either. In 2014 LA Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was suspended indefinitely after being charged with a domestic violence charge. The NHL also gave the Kings considerable cap relief because of their suspension.
Then in 2013 Colorado Avalanche goalie, Semyon Varlamov was charged with a domestic violence case of his own. The NHL decided to do nothing in this case, which further clouds what could happen in the Kane case.
There are two differences in these cases, Voynov was found guilty and was sentenced jail time, while Varlamov’s case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. Now, the NHL didn’t know of Voynov’s innocence until just two months ago, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the NHL imposed a suspension until more information is brought forward.
If the Blackhawks intend on trading Kane, popular Yahoo blog Puck Daddy has indicated several teams have already begun calling Stan Bowman. As the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus mentions, trading the superstar is the only real option the image conscience team has now.
Marian Hossa had just had one of his typical games — a couple of goals, some stellar defense, another victory. When a few reporters descended on his stall in the visitors’ locker room in Dallas that November night, Hossa instinctively reached back for his Blackhawks hat. It wasn’t there. He looked around for a moment, then sheepishly apologized and scurried off to another room before re-emerging with a hat on his head. The future Hall of Famer didn’t want to get scolded.
Team rules, you know. All players must wear Hawks shirts and hats during postgame interviews.
A team that won’t allow a player to be interviewed without Blackhawks gear on, can’t just ignore someone with this many incidents surrounding him. A team that is constantly in front of the PR camera with make-a-wish and other charitable work, showcasing players in their homes with family and pets in videos that play on the United Center’s giant video board, is now forced to face an impossible question, what to do with one of the game’s best players.
These are very interesting times when watching the Blackhawks, and the team’s next steps will be questioned from everyone. Will Kane be apart of this team come October? Will the team trade him? Will there be a suspension? While this might be the least important clog in the Kane story, it is one that will begin to be asked more regularly.
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Innocent until proven guilty if they trade Kaner now I would be mad.
Innocent till proven guilty works in the court of law, in sports, when multiple millions of dollars are on the line and mega-dollar sponsorships weigh in, it is often guilty till proven innocent.
That’s Corporate Greed for you. The blackhawks have enough shiny happy people stuff going on, it’s wussifying the game.