DETROIT (WWJ) - Fans were left reeling Tuesday morning after multiple reports confirmed longtime Chicago Blackhawk, NHL free agent forward and major Detroit hockey rival is coming back to the league -- as a Red Wing.
According to WWJ sports reporter Chris Fillar, multiple sources confirmed that three-time Stanley Cup Champion Patrick Kane will don the Winged Wheel after completing rehab for hip resurfacing surgery he underwent back on June 1.
The 35-year-old played 73 games last season with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers, racking up 21 goals and 36 assists.
He is often regarded as one of the best American-born players of all time.
"Hockeytown is a buzz right now," Fillar reported. "One of the greatest right wingers of all time decided he wants to join the Red Wings to continue his career. Whether he's past his prime or not, Patrick Kane will be in Detroit."
It wasn't immediately clear when Kane would join the Wings, but in an interview with the Associated Press back in August, he said his rehabilitation plan would last roughly six months with the potential of returning to the ice early.
“I think we’re at the point now where, I mean, could I come back early? Yeah, probably,” Kane told the AP. “But does it make sense? You know, it might be better to take the full time and just make sure I’m at 105-110% instead of just 90-95. But it’s a lot better than I was last year.”
Kane joins a very short list of players that came back to the NHL after undergoing invasive hip surgery, which involves dislocating the upper end of the thighbone, trimming it, capping it and removing cartilage before reassembling it back into place.
Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom and Carl Hagelin also underwent the procedure within the last year.
On November 1, Backstrom announced he was stepping away from the game to focus on his health after informing Washington’s training staff that his hip was not responding how he would like.
Hagelin announced his retirement at age 35 back in August, citing an eye injury, the AP reported.
Only one other NHL player made a comeback attempt after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery. Longtime Canadian defenseman, Ed Jovanovski, called it a career in December of 2015 after playing 37 more games for the Florida Panthers.
“Use every day as motivation to get to the next day, because it can be over quick,” Jovanovski said in a 2016 interview with Sports Net. “The game of hockey has given me everything I could ask for in life but at some point it’s got to come to an end.”