Patrick Kane returned to Detroit on Thursday night with the Chicago Blackhawks carrying a milestone chase into the matchup. He needed one assist to become the 21st player in NHL history with 900 assists, and he arrived at 7:30 p.m. ET with the kind of spotlight that follows a Hall of Fame-level number.
That is why Blackhawks Vs Red Wings drew attention beyond a routine early-season game. Kane, 37, spent three seasons with the Red Wings before signing a two-year contract with the Blackhawks on July 23, and the game in Detroit put him back in the building where he had last worn the other sweater. He was also only the second active skater, after Sidney Crosby, within reach of 900 assists. Crosby had 1,111.
The numbers around him gave the night extra weight. Kane entered with 1,432 games played and one assist left to reach the next round figure, a mark only 20 players had reached before him. Chicago also had a younger milestone in play, with Connor Bedard one goal away from passing Alex DeBrincat for sole possession of sixth place on the Blackhawks list for goals by a skater age 21 or younger. Jeremy Roenick led that club mark with 111 goals.
Detroit had its own storyline, but Dylan Larkin was not part of it. He requested a trade during the offseason and was stripped of his captaincy before training camp, then did not play Thursday. Todd McLellan said general manager Shawn Horcoff would address the situation, leaving the Red Wings to move forward without the player who had been at the center of the most sensitive part of their summer.
The game also fit into a season where both teams were still trying to stabilize themselves. Detroit entered at 5-4-3, while Chicago came in at 4-8-0, but Kane’s chase made the meeting feel bigger than the records attached to it. If he gets the assist in Detroit, it becomes one of the few numbers from the night that will matter long after the final horn.
