KANE SAGA PUTS BLACKHAWKS IN BAD SPOT
It’s fair to wonder why Patrick Kane would want to be at Chicago Blackhawks training camp this weekend with a sexual assault accusation hanging over his head. It’s fair to secondguess the Blackhawks for not asking him to stay home until an Erie County, N.Y., grand jury has its say about his case.
The Blackhawks don’t want to launch the defense of their Stanley Cup by sponsoring a parade of media members asking questions about whether Kane should be in camp.
But what can’t be ignored is that Kane proba- bly feels he has a right to be there. He hasn’t been charged or even arrested. He has not been suspended by the NHL. He is presumed to be innocent in a court, regardless of what anyone has to say on Twitter.
His agent Pat Brisson told USA TODAY Sports Wednesday that he expected Kane to make a statement Thursday.
“I have known Patrick for a long time. He’s always been very honest with me,” Brisson said. “I know he has been going through a difficult period. I hope he will move on with his life in the near future. I believe he is innocent.”
Brisson didn’t provide further details about the situation because the investigation is ongoing.
But it’s obvious Kane hasn’t been able to skate or train as he normally would. If he expects to be cleared of any wrongdoing, he undoubtedly thinks he needs training camp to get himself in shape.
None of us knows what happened at Kane’s home Aug. 2, but it is telling that the NHL has not suspended Kane.
Early last season, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was suspended eight hours after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse and before the district attorney decided to charge him. The suspension came nine months before Voynov pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor that carried a 90-day sentence. His suspension has not been lifted, and he issued a statement Wednesday saying he was moving back to Russia after facing deportation.
The NHL conducts its own investigations in these matters, and there was considerable evidence for the league to review in the Voynov matter. Police had been called to investigate a family dispute, and Voynov’s wife had been treated at a local hospital. That’s why the NHL could suspend him before a trial.
This came after the NFL was criticized heavily for its handling of the Ray Rice saga. The NHL seemed to want to make it clear that it intended to draw a hard line in issues involving violence against woman.
We can presume that position hasn’t changed. Don’t kid yourself: The NHL has been gathering as much information as it can in this case. If the NHL had uncovered, or been presented with, evidence pointing to Kane’s guilt, he would have been suspended by now.
Kane wants to exercise the rights of an innocent man and go back to work. Some say Kane is being a bad teammate because he is causing a major distraction for his team.
If he doesn’t come to camp, the Kane saga has a 24-hour news cycle. We ask everyone how they feel about Kane not being there, and then training camp becomes training camp. But by showing up at camp, what Kane does or says — and how he plays — becomes a daily issue.
Maybe the story isn’t Kane being a bad teammate but rather the Blackhawks being good teammates.
Maybe they are willing to put up with the added distraction because they believe in him.
We won’t know for sure which is true until the district attorney announces whether Kane will be charged.