In the summer of 2007, a grinning, fresh-faced Patrick Kane took the stage in Columbus, Ohio, moments after the Blackhawks made the Buffalo native the No. 1 selection in the NHL draft.
On Wednesday night in Las Vegas — nine years to the day he was drafted by the Hawks — Kane stepped on a different stage to accept the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.
Kane also took home the Ted Lindsay Award, presented to the most outstanding player as voted by fellow players, while teammate Artemi Panarin won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
In less than a decade, Kane has gone from that 18-year-old kid with a flashy smile, flashier offensive skills and a world of potential to a semi-grizzled veteran set to rake in $13.8 million in 2016-17 coming off his finest season. In between, Kane has racked up three Stanley Cups, the Calder Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2013 postseason and five All-Star selections.
“I remember getting drafted and going through all the combine interviews and the whole process and thinking at the time I didn’t really care where I got drafted and what team it was,” Kane said after receiving the Hart. “Now you look back on it and say how lucky and fortunate I was to go to an organization like the Chicago Blackhawks and in a great city like Chicago.
“I feel very, very fortunate. It’s been quite a ride.”
Kane’s remarkable 2015-16 season featured a 26-game points streak that set a franchise record and is the longest by an American. The 27-year-old finished with career highs of 46 goals, 60 assists and 106 points to become the first U.S.-born player to lead the league in scoring.
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