The Rookies

In the two days since Patrick Kane and his cousin were arrested for allegedly beating up a Buffalo cabbie who didn’t give back a couple dollars’ extra change, the details of the case have done a 180 in Kane’s favor. What began on Sunday as the arrest of Kane and his cousin for robbing and assaulting a taxi cab driver over a few dollars’ change has turned into Kane immediately pleading not guilty, the cabbie’s lawyer downplaying the robbery charge, and finally, the revelation that the cabbie in question had a history of DUIs and had apparently locked his passengers in the cab until they paid up.

Moreover, Kane does not even appear to have been drunk, which kind of defies logic since he was arrested at 5 AM in the Chippewa District, usually not a sign of sobriety. Nevertheless, both the lawyers for Kane and the cabbie seem to agree that the case will be settled without serious charges.

The same cannot be said for Patrick Kane’s reputation as it pertains to Buffalo.The thing you have to understand about Western New Yorkers is that they never really got the memo about hockey being less of a sport than basketball, football, or baseball. Sabres games routinely sell out (at one point, Sabres TV broadcasts were creaming American Idol in the local ratings), both of the Division I hockey programs in the region get full media coverage, including the women’s teams, and rinks throughout the area host national youth hockey tournaments every year. Those Buffalonians who manage to make it to the NHL are treated as minor celebrities by the media and some of the fans, whether or not they’d get the same treatment elsewhere—just ask Todd Marchant or Lee Stempniak.

So when a kid from South Buffalo managed to shoot up through the CHL system to become the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft, Patrick Kane instantly became the biggest sports celebrity to come out of Buffalo. Ever. The Blackhawks’ first visit to Buffalo was packed and apparently merited a ceremonial puck drop involving Kane, then-Sabre Brian Campbell, and both of their fathers. When Kane promptly scored a goal minutes into the game, the Sabres fans actually cheered. By the time Kane returned home last weekend to dedicate a new rink, he was about as big a hometown hero as you could imagine.

So it’s pretty disappointing to see Kane get caught up in what seems like a fairly stupid incident. Wandering around a section of the city notorious for its bars, in a city where said bars have next to no limits on closing times, while underage, is about as brainless a course of action as it gets, considering the last athlete to wind up in the news for being in that area after hours was one Marshawn Lynch. Kane will rebound from this, especially since the more damning details of the case, seem to be false but for someone who’s supposed to be the next great hope of the NHL and in a position to command franchise-fixture money when his rookie contract runs out next year, staying away from any areas where a situation like this could happen might be a good idea.

As for Buffalo, it’s pretty pathetic to see an athlete admired throughout the area and previously considered at least as good an ambassador for the region as any of its actual politicians wind up the subject of punchlines on Page 2 at ESPN or admonishing columns from the likes of ESPN, SI, the Buffalo News, and yours truly. It’s far from the first time it’s happened (once again, see Lynch, Marshawn) and you can’t blame an athlete for not making his standing as a role model/local hero his first priority or not anticipating that he’d get caught up in something like this and instantly condemned by the media but it’s still a bummer, given how highly Buffalonians and Blackhawks fans alike have regarded him.

Kane finds fame comes with a price (Buffalo News)

Lawyer: Kane did not commit a crime (ESPN Chicago)