Blackhawks Fans Celebrate Franchise Legend Patrick Kane’s Return To Chicago: ‘Welcome Home’

CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks fans erupted in excitement after the team announced Thursday that Patrick Kane, the right winger who led the team to three Stanley Cups in the 2010s, is coming home.

Kane — a Blackhawks franchise legend who played for Chicago from 2007 to 2023 — signed a two-year contract running through the 2027-28 season with an $8 million salary-cap hit, the Blackhawks announced Thursday. Fans are celebrating his return as a nostalgic homecoming and are hopeful that his offensive playmaking, coupled with that of rising star Connor Bedard, could raise the team from a yearslong slump.

Kane was selected first overall by Chicago in the 2007 National Hockey League Draft and propelled the Blackhawks to dynasty status in the 2010s, with Stanley Cup Wins in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He was traded to the New York Rangers in 2023 as the Blackhawks began a full rebuild of the team before moving to the Detroit Red Wings from 2023 to 2026.

Kane was one of the Blackhawks’ most successful players ever, ranking third in franchise history with 80 assists, 132 points and 136 games played and fourth in goals with 52. Kane, 37, remains an offensive weapon and recorded 57 points in 67 regular-season games for Detroit last year. 

Chicago Blackhawks fans took to social media on Thursday in celebration, saying that “it’s showtime” in Chicago, a reference to a nickname for Kane cemented after he shouted the phrase following a clutch game-winning playoff goal in 2015.

Glen Kukevich, 33, of North Center, said he was “super thrilled” when he awoke Thursday to a notification from the Blackhawks app announcing Kane’s return. A season ticket holder for three years, Kukevich said he constantly checked social media the past few weeks as rumors of Kane’s return circulated.

“I’m super excited about this coming season,” Kukevich said. “I go to all of the games. This signing definitely makes the upcoming season more exciting after a couple of rough years.”

Kukevich said the team’s selection of Kane in the 2007 draft first made him a Blackhawks fan when he was 14 years old living in Siberia, Russia, years before he became a Chicago resident. Hockey was huge in his hometown, Kukevich said, and he enjoyed watching Kane’s pre-draft highlights as a teenager and has followed Kane’s hockey career since.

Kukevich is particularly excited to watch Kane play with Bedard, a cornerstone of the Blackhawks offense who was drafted to the team first overall in 2023 and won NHL Rookie of the Year the following season. He said he hopes the two can lead the Blackhawks to make a step forward by late March to fight as a contender for the wild card spots in the NHL playoffs.

“He’s still fun to watch,” Kukevich said of Kane. “I think he still has some gas in his tank for a couple more seasons.”

Kane’s Chicago homecoming at the United Center will be Oct. 6 when the Blackhawks host the St. Louis Blues, following a Sept. 29 game in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights.