FanHouse Patrick Kane

The renaissance of the Chicago Blackhawks is well-chronicled. After not making the Western Conference Finals once since 1995, Chicago got to the NHL's final four in 2008. A five-game series loss to Detroit ended their magical run, but the pieces are in place for the Blackhawks to again be a perennial contender in the NHL.

One of those key pieces is forward Patrick Kane. After posting over 140 points in his first two NHL seasons, the dynamic youngster graces the cover of EA Sports' NHL 10. Kane spoke with FanHouse about the game, the Blackhawks, and what was a tumultuous summer.

BUFFALO, N.Y.(AP) -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and his cousin pleaded guilty Thursday to a noncriminal charge of disorderly conduct and were ordered to send an apology to the cab driver they were accused of roughing up over 20 cents.

The 20-year-old player and his 21-year-old cousin, James Kane, were given conditional discharges, meaning they will avoid any penalties if they stay out of trouble for a year and write apologies to cabbie Jan Radecki.

Wednesday was an important day for Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and his cousin, James Kane, as they were indicted on misdemeanor and violation charges for an alleged altercation with a Buffalo cab driver back on Aug. 9. According to the district attorney in Buffalo, a grand jury also dismissed a felony charge for second-degree robbery.

If you'll recall, the two were arrested when they allegedly attacked a cab driver and took their money back when the driver informed them he didn't have 20 cents change to give them.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane made headlines a couple of weeks ago for all of the wrong reasons. Kane, along with his cousin, James Kane, were accused of having an altercation with a Buffalo cab driver Aug 8. On Monday, Kane made his first public comments regarding the incident and apologized for causing "a lot of pain" for his family, team and fans.

"Because I have put myself ... in the wrong position at the wrong time, I have caused a lot of pain for my family, my hometown of Buffalo, the City of Chicago, the Chicago Blackhawks and obviously the great fans we have here in Chicago, Kane said. "And for that part I sincerely apologize."

Video of Kane's press conference after the jump. [Fox Chicago]

The temperature was over 90 degrees here on Long Island for the second day in a row. So, about two months late, summer has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. Glad to see that it could take the time to finally stop by. But along with the heat comes a weird time in the hockey news cycle. Basically, anything and everything is a story. Alright, so the Patrick Kane twenty-cent-cabbie-punch thing is a pretty big deal, even if he ends up getting acquitted. But other than that the hockey media -- myself included -- is really just grasping at straws to write about which reminds me, has training camp started yet?

Let's start with Theo Fleury. It's all well and good that the 41-year old with a long history of off-ice issues that derailed an otherwise successful career is trying to give it another go. You can't hate on a guy for giving it a shot. But let's realize the hurdles that Fleury left for himself to jump.

So now, as quickly as it takes to make one phone call (wink-wink), the story flip-flops. Turns out the 62-year-old Buffalo taxi driver who allegedly was assaulted by young hockey star Patrick Kane, the homegrown pride of that parochial New York town, suddenly doesn't think it was so awful that Kane and his cousin grabbed his throat, "broke my glasses (and) ripped my clothes." The story has gained nationwide attention because: (a) Kane is known as a baby-faced angel; and (b) the baby-faced angel apparently wasn't happy that the cabbie didn't have 20 cents in change for a $15 fare, which trumps Scottie "No Tippin' " Pippen for lows in penny-pinching.

Patrick Kane, the Buffalo native who was selected first overall in the 2007 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, was arrested early Sunday morning along with a relative for allegedly assaulting a cab driver and failing to pay their fare. The two were leaving Chippewa Street, the hub of Buffalo's nightlife.

Actually, they technically paid their fare, but allegedly punched the driver and took the money back when the driver notified them he didn't have 20 cents in change to give them. They were arrested at about 5 AM, three days after Kane attended an event with the mayor in Buffalo to celebrate the opening of an ice rink and park facilities.

"It's special for me, it's the place I grew up," Kane said at the time. "The best part is coming back and hanging out with your buddies and family." He didn't list "assault and robbery" as other special things about returning back home.

There have been some huge stories during the NHL offseason. Many of them have involved the Chicago Blackhawks.

With that in mind, FanHouse recently caught up with Comcast SportsNet Chicago analyst Ed Olczyk -- perhaps better known for his work as a main analyst for Versus and NBC -- to get his take on all the changes happening in the Windy City. Olczyk was born in Illinois, played part of his career for the Blackhawks, and still has some very strong feelings about the team, not to mention the state of affairs in the NHL.

FanHouse's Adam Gretz takes a look at his top 50 players in the NHL. No. 47 is Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.

It's not going to take long for Patrick Kane to move up these rankings. He's the youngest player, 20, to make my list, and he's the future of American hockey and some lucky team in the NHL. But will it be Chicago? During the NHL playoffs, Detroit head coach Mike Babcock talked about how he was patiently waiting for the salary cap to break up the Blackhawks' young core (and he wasn't joking). At the time, I argued that Chicago should be in good shape when it comes to keeping it's core in place, but a lot has changed since then. Could Kane be the odd man out in the future?

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