Kane trying to get a read on growing up
Blackhawks star says he prays every night to 'become a better person'
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The color drained from Patrick Kane's face when he was confronted with the knowledge of how he has spent part of his offseason after helping the Blackhawkswin the Stanley Cup.
It was his mother, Donna, who caught the 21-year-old in the act — of reading a book.
While the fourth installment of the "Twilight" series isn't exactly Tolstoy, the image of Kane in the bedroom of his Buffalo childhood home, curled up with a book instead of carousing on the streets of his hometown, is fairly startling.
"Ohhhh," Kane said with a laugh after regaining his composure. "She would throw me under the bus like that. I watched the first three movies and was really interested … so I decided to read the fourth book. I kind of snuck it in there, and she walked in a couple of times with me reading the book. I tried to hide it, but it wasn't happening."
As Donna Kane sees it, the fact her son is taking the time to read is an indication he's maturing off the ice as well as he has on it.
"When Patrick was a rookie at training camp the first year, they had him rooming with (veteran) Kevyn Adams," Donna Kane said. "Patrick walked into the hotel room and Kevyn was reading a book and Patrick said, 'Why would you want to read when you don't have to?' Kevyn said, 'Pat, it's good for you, it teaches you, especially if you enjoy what you're reading.'
"So what does Patrick do this summer? He's reading a 700-page book."
There are other things about Patrick Kane that can be learned only by spending a couple of whirlwind days with the Blackhawks star and his new favorite wingman, the Stanley Cup.
Kane had fun-filled, sun-soaked and exhausting days Friday and Saturday as he crisscrossed Buffalo with hockey's most coveted prize. He took it to Niagara Falls, a hospital specializing in cancer treatment, a cemetery to visit the graves of relatives, a hockey rink and his favorite pizzeria, among other stops.
Beyond the reading, there was the discovery of an emotional and spiritual side to Kane, how fiercely loyal he is to friends and family and just how much he wants to be a good man.
"For the past year or so, I've been praying to God every night that he can help me become a better person and help me make a difference not only in sports, but in the world," Kane said Saturday before heading to Chicago, where he brought the Cup onstage at a Jimmy Buffett concert. "Whether that's helping one or two people out, that's what it is. If it's things like (visiting Roswell Park Cancer Institute on Friday), that's even better."
Kane wasn't shy to reveal how emotional he was during Saturday's visit to the graves of his two grandmothers and a family friend.
"I'm an emotional kid, I cried three times," Kane said. "It's just the way I am. I feel like I really have a bigheart."
A goal during his maturation is to prove he has come a long way since his arrest and guilty plea to a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct after an altercation with a Buffalo cabdriver last August.
"You always want to have a good reputation," Kane said. "I'm still a kid; I'm 21 years old. To say I don't like to have fun, I'd be lying to you. I love to go out with my buddies and enjoy the summer and my time off away from hockey.
"There are a couple of people, including myself, that two or three years ago, we were probably a little bit wild and we liked to have our fun. Now we still like to have our fun, but we're more under control. We respect things more, we respect people more.
"I feel I've grown up in a respectful way. I feel like the past year or six months, I've gotten a lot better in the situations I've been through and I know how to control myself a little better."
Kane's maturity has won over Buffalo, where people flocked to him and the Cup at each stop. On Friday, at a construction site of a global vascular institute, Mayor Byron Brown said, "We're just so proud of him."
Kane summed up his eventful summer — which included scoring the winning goal in overtime of the Stanley Cup clincher and this weekend's time with the trophy — as only he can:
"It's a crazy life, man."
ckuc@tribune.com
It was his mother, Donna, who caught the 21-year-old in the act — of reading a book.
While the fourth installment of the "Twilight" series isn't exactly Tolstoy, the image of Kane in the bedroom of his Buffalo childhood home, curled up with a book instead of carousing on the streets of his hometown, is fairly startling.
"Ohhhh," Kane said with a laugh after regaining his composure. "She would throw me under the bus like that. I watched the first three movies and was really interested … so I decided to read the fourth book. I kind of snuck it in there, and she walked in a couple of times with me reading the book. I tried to hide it, but it wasn't happening."
As Donna Kane sees it, the fact her son is taking the time to read is an indication he's maturing off the ice as well as he has on it.
"When Patrick was a rookie at training camp the first year, they had him rooming with (veteran) Kevyn Adams," Donna Kane said. "Patrick walked into the hotel room and Kevyn was reading a book and Patrick said, 'Why would you want to read when you don't have to?' Kevyn said, 'Pat, it's good for you, it teaches you, especially if you enjoy what you're reading.'
"So what does Patrick do this summer? He's reading a 700-page book."
There are other things about Patrick Kane that can be learned only by spending a couple of whirlwind days with the Blackhawks star and his new favorite wingman, the Stanley Cup.
Kane had fun-filled, sun-soaked and exhausting days Friday and Saturday as he crisscrossed Buffalo with hockey's most coveted prize. He took it to Niagara Falls, a hospital specializing in cancer treatment, a cemetery to visit the graves of relatives, a hockey rink and his favorite pizzeria, among other stops.
Beyond the reading, there was the discovery of an emotional and spiritual side to Kane, how fiercely loyal he is to friends and family and just how much he wants to be a good man.
"For the past year or so, I've been praying to God every night that he can help me become a better person and help me make a difference not only in sports, but in the world," Kane said Saturday before heading to Chicago, where he brought the Cup onstage at a Jimmy Buffett concert. "Whether that's helping one or two people out, that's what it is. If it's things like (visiting Roswell Park Cancer Institute on Friday), that's even better."
Kane wasn't shy to reveal how emotional he was during Saturday's visit to the graves of his two grandmothers and a family friend.
"I'm an emotional kid, I cried three times," Kane said. "It's just the way I am. I feel like I really have a bigheart."
A goal during his maturation is to prove he has come a long way since his arrest and guilty plea to a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct after an altercation with a Buffalo cabdriver last August.
"You always want to have a good reputation," Kane said. "I'm still a kid; I'm 21 years old. To say I don't like to have fun, I'd be lying to you. I love to go out with my buddies and enjoy the summer and my time off away from hockey.
"There are a couple of people, including myself, that two or three years ago, we were probably a little bit wild and we liked to have our fun. Now we still like to have our fun, but we're more under control. We respect things more, we respect people more.
"I feel I've grown up in a respectful way. I feel like the past year or six months, I've gotten a lot better in the situations I've been through and I know how to control myself a little better."
Kane's maturity has won over Buffalo, where people flocked to him and the Cup at each stop. On Friday, at a construction site of a global vascular institute, Mayor Byron Brown said, "We're just so proud of him."
Kane summed up his eventful summer — which included scoring the winning goal in overtime of the Stanley Cup clincher and this weekend's time with the trophy — as only he can:
"It's a crazy life, man."
ckuc@tribune.com
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