Patrick Kane will skate onto the United Center ice from the home side Tuesday night for the first time since his return to the Chicago Blackhawks. The building is familiar. The routine is not.
- Kane, 37, returned to Chicago on a two-year contract worth $16 million, carrying an $8 million annual cap hit.
- He scored once in Chicago’s 5-2 season-opening defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 29.
- The Blackhawks are 0-3-0 after losses to Vegas, the Utah Mammoth and Buffalo Sabres.
- Chicago was beaten 6-0 in Utah on Oct. 1, then dropped a 4-3 decision in Buffalo on Saturday.
- Kane did not appear in either preseason game at United Center and said he may need to reacquaint himself with the dressing room and route to the ice.
- No injuries, scratches or expected lineup changes were announced.
- Kane sits third in franchise goals with 447 and second in assists with 779 and points with 1,226.
- Across 1,372 NHL games with Chicago, the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, Kane has 509 goals and 892 assists for 1,401 points.
- He reached 500 career goals Jan. 8, passed Mike Modano as the highest-scoring U.S.-born player Jan. 29 with point No. 1,375, and hit 1,400 points April 13.
What it means for Tuesday against St. Louis
Chicago’s home opener against the St. Louis Blues is set for 8 p.m. ET. Kane called the chance to play a regular-season game in front of the United Center crowd again exciting, but the focus inside the room is the first win.
The Blackhawks have opened the schedule with three losses, making Tuesday more than a ceremonial return for one of the defining players of the club’s championship era. Kane helped Chicago lift the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015 after arriving as the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. He was dealt to the Rangers on Feb. 28, 2023, then spent three seasons with Detroit from 2024 through 2026.
“It’ll be pretty awesome,” coach Jeff Blashill said of Kane’s return to a Chicago home game. Blashill noted that Kane remains an effective player and said the night should carry meaning throughout the organization.
But Blashill also stressed that Kane did not come back simply to celebrate past accomplishments. The winger wants wins, and Chicago needs one before the early-season skid becomes heavier.
Kane said an 0-3 start lands differently in the opening week than it would later in the season. He sees a victory over St. Louis as a chance to reset the club’s mood and build some confidence.
For Kane, the emotion is real. He said former visits to United Center as a Detroit player were dates he marked in advance, games in which he expected himself to be at his best. Now the assignment changes: turn that energy toward the Blackhawks bench, use the crowd, and help finish the job against the Blues.
