Patrick Kane waived his no-trade clause to leave the only organization he ever knew as a pro, and now, he’s ready to take the ice at Madison Square Garden and make his Rangers debut on Thursday night.
Kane, a three-time Stanley Cup champ, leaves behind years of fond memories in Chicago to try and recapture the thrill of winning it all, this time with another Original Six squad.
“Wasn’t the easiest decision, but I'm really excited to be here with this team, with the amount of skill and good players they have here,” Kane said at his introductory press conference on Thursday after skating with his new team. “Another chance to make a run. Felt like it would be a good experience and get out of the comfort zone a little bit and play with a different franchise…coming into a good situation.”
Kane arrives in New York at a time where the hype around MSG is at a fever pitch, and his arrival plays a big part in that excitement. The Rangers, just one year removed from coming two wins shy of a Stanley Cup berth, added two stars before the trade deadline, and are considered to be one of the prime candidates to come out of a stacked Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the red-hot Knicks are surging up their own conference standings behind Jalen Brunson, who was rocking a Rangers Kane jersey to MSG on Wednesday night, before New York steamrolled the rival Nets.
Kane talked to Brunson via FaceTime before that game, and is looking forward to experiencing the dual excitement between the Knicks and Rangers, which many feel hasn’t reached this level since both teams reached their respective finals in 1994.
“It was pretty cool…I was talking to him for a little bit, and he said he was looking forward to coming to a game, and vice versa,” Kane said. “I would love to get to a Knicks game and support him as well. The energy in the city, throughout the organization, is at a pretty big high right now. Excited to be a part of that.”
Kane will have the luxury of being around some familiar faces in New York, including Artemi Panarin, his former teammate with the Blackhawks. Kane doesn’t expect the two to make magic on the ice immediately like they did in Chicago, but he is hoping by the time the playoffs arrive, they will be back to their old selves.
“Today is the first time I’ve seen him in a long time,” Kane said. “Just being able to be around him and hang out with him, he’s a fun guy to be around…We picked up right where we left off. Hopefully it's the same on the ice. It might not go as smooth as everyone thinks, there may be some bumps in the road, but hopefully in due time, we can figure it out.”
But first things first, and that is Kane’s debut on Thursday night, where a packed MSG crowd will be on hand to see the future Hall of Famer try and match Vladimir Tarasenko’s Garden debut, when he scored just minutes into the first period.
“Definitely a little bit nervous,” Kane said. “Probably more nervous than I've been about a regular season game in a long time. But I'm pretty excited about it.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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