Patrick Kane Apologizes for Cab Attack

Yesterday, Chicago Blackhawks star, Patrick Kane, issued a public apology for allegedly assaulting a cab driver while visiting his hometown of Buffalo, New York earlier this month.  I was really shocked by the incident in which Kane and his cousin supposedly attacked a cab driver after the man said he didn’t have the 20 cents change when he was given $15 for a $13.80 fare (he had a dollar but not the other 20 cents).  Since when do we not tip taxi drivers???

During his apology (which he delivered at the start of the three-day orientation camp for the U.S. Olympic hockey team), he said:  “I know everyone wants to talk about what happened in Buffalo.  As you know, the legal proceedings are pending and I cannot discuss the events at this time.  Because I’ve put myself in being in the wrong position at the wrong time, I’ve caused a lot of pain for my family, my home town of Buffalo, the city of Chicago, the Chicago Blackhawks and obviously, the great fans we have here in Chicago. And for that part, I sincerely apologize.”

Kane was supposed to appear in court yesterday but it was delayed so that he could go to the orientation camp.  He has pleaded not guilty and even the cabbie’s lawyer said the whole thing was “blown out of proportion.”

Team USA’s GM, Brian Burke, had some understanding words for the situation: “It’s possible for a young man to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and make a poor decision,” he said.  “I know when I was Patrick Kane’s age, I did a couple of things I wouldn’t want to talk about up here… [the incident] does not affect my opinion of Patrick Kane or his ability to contribute to this team.”

While Kane is excited to “get back to the ice and represent the Chicago Blackhawks and the United States Olympic hockey team” he did talk a little bit about how tough this situation has been, saying the hardest was “probably being in handcuffs and them [his family] seeing me in handcuffs.  They said it’s something they never want to see again.  My family didn’t raise me that way, so it’s tough letting them down.”

While he got a lot of support from all the Kane jerseys he did see a Dallas fan booing him.  He said that he expects to see more of that in the coming years.  It’s really too bad.  He had a pretty perfect start to his career and this is just a really unfortunate situation.  Hockey players aren’t above the law so, if he did attack the cabbie, he deserves to be punished in the same way as everyone else.

image: TSN