Victorious Comeback of Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane

Video: The Highlights of Patrick Kane – NHL Hockey.

And with that, the speculation was over.

Wednesday night the Hawks will officially welcome back one of the league’s dynamic scorers and playoff producers as Kane beat the initial 12-week timetable to rehab the broken left collarbone he suffered Feb. 24.

“It’s been a long 50 days here, so it’s a credit to a lot of hard work from obviously the doctors and the trainers and just listening to them and trying to heal as fast as possible,” Kane said.

To do that, Kane said the team tried a few rehabilitation techniques but declined to describe them.

Kane showed progress in recent weeks during practice and took contact for the first time Monday before team doctors fully cleared him.

“There’s definitely three or four different things that we tried and seemed to work,” Kane said. “It seemed to just improve week by week. So we’re at the point right now where it’s pretty safe to go out there and try and compete and play.”

Jonathan Toews talks about facing the Predators on Wednesday.
Coach Joel Quenneville and captain Jonathan Toews flashed similar subtle smiles to Kane’s on Tuesday when asked about Kane’s return.

“For a while there no one was too sure how long the recovery period would take for him,” Toews said. “So obviously it’s good news that he feels ready to go.”

Quenneville said in February he did not think it would be possible for Kane to return to the lineup this quickly.

“It wasn’t in the cards knowing we had to get through a round or two before he could even be considered,” Quenneville said. “This is a very positive situation for us, knowing what he brings to the table. He was having an MVP type of season.”

In 61 games, Kane posted 27 goals and 37 assists. At Wednesday’s practice, he was on the Hawks’ second line with Kris Versteeg and Brad Richards, a line that had a lot of success earlier in the season.

Kane is no stranger to beginning the playoffs after an extended break. Last season, he didn’t play for nearly a month as he rested an injured knee before taking the ice in the first round against the Blues. Kane ended up scoring nine goals and 10 assists in 23 games.

“Last year in the playoffs, it seemed like I started a little slow and then kind of picked it up as the playoffs went on,” Kane said. “So I think you can learn from that. At the same time, this is my second time around. Hopefully I can learn from that experience and realize what I can do right away and what’s going to be important to be successful on the ice.”

Even though Kane has been cleared for full contact, there still will be some anxious moments when Kane takes his first few hits.

“We tested it out a few times, a few different things where guys run into me, guys checking me,” Kane said. “Just kind of feel confidence there. That’s another thing there for my peace of mind.”

Presumably Kane is fully healed and the Hawks, improbably, are fully loaded for another playoff run.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-patrick-kane-game-1-return-20150414-story.html