Housley knew Kane well, however. He had been an assistant for the United States at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship, when Kane tied for the tournament lead with five goals and helped the U.S. win bronze.
“It was like, ‘Oh, they picked Patrick Kane,’” Housley said with a chuckle. “‘Really good choice.’”
Now 37 and playing for the Detroit Red Wings, Kane needs four points to pass Modano. The forward has 1,371 points (500 goals, 871 assists) in 1,334 games as he visits the Boston Bruins on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, TNT, NESN).
The temptation is to say Kane is about to fulfill his destiny. But early in his career, he had to overcome a lack of size, and late in his career, he had to overcome a hip problem. He needed heart as well as talent, first to generate the hype, then to live up to it.
“I knew years ago that he may be the one, that if he stayed healthy that he would be the guy that goes after it,” Modano said. “So, obviously, he’s had a phenomenal career and is one of the best ever.”
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Kane grew up going to Buffalo Sabres games, sitting behind the net during warmup and behind the bench after puck drop, studying all the stars as they came through town.
To this day, he remembers details of Modano’s stick — skinny blade, black tape. Not that he had anything against grinders, but he admired how Modano did not fit the stereotype of the American player.
“He had a different type of flair, the skating with speed, the jersey flapping in the back,” Kane said. “It was different watching him play compared to the rest of American players, you know? He just had the swag. He made the game exciting, fun to watch, especially for me. Skilled, offensive player. I liked watching a guy like that, learning from him.”
Kane became a skilled, offensive player himself. In 2003-04, he lived with former NHL forward Pat Verbeek in the Detroit suburbs and put up 160 points (83 goals, 77 assists) in 70 games for Honeybaked 16U AAA. But at that point, realistically, he didn’t think he would be like Modano.
“I was a smaller kid,” Kane said. “Like, I was a good hockey player, but I mean, you never really know where it’s going to take you. You hope you get a college scholarship and you can pay for your college by playing hockey, and that was kind of the goal.”
To start 2004-05, Kane was not part of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, then based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was only 15 to start the season, born Nov. 19, 1988, late for his age group.
John Hynes, then coach of the U17 team, now coach of the Minnesota Wild, said the worry was that Kane was too small to play against older opponents in the North American Hockey League and United States Hockey League. The plan was maybe to invite him to international tournaments when he could play against opponents closer to his age.
But a spot opened early in the season when defenseman Bob Sanguinetti left the NTDP for Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League, and Kane got the call.
Ron Rolston, then coach of the U18 team, now an associate at Providence College, remembers when Kane arrived with his hockey bag slung over his shoulder.
“It didn’t look like he was a guy that was supposed to be on the team, because he just looked small,” Rolston said. “Put up all kinds of numbers, and they passed him by. It was an act of God that he got there, basically. For the program. Not for himself, but for the program.”
Kane put up all kinds of numbers in two seasons at the NTDP, everywhere but on the scale. He had 172 points (84 goals, 88 assists) in 121 games, even though the 2004-05 media guide listed him at 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, generously.
“I remember when I was going to the program, I would stick, like, two-and-a-half-pound plates into my pockets when I would go on the scale so I could weigh in at, like, 147,” Kane said. “So, I’m, like, obviously 142, because I’ve got two 2 ½-pound plates, but I’m weighing in at 147. They’re like, ‘Wow. Good job. You’re getting up there.’”
He laughed.
“But it was really great for me,” he said. “The program was awesome. …Obviously, it was nice that they had a spot open. You never know what would have happened if that spot hadn’t opened.”
Kane proved he could excel at his size.
“You could see his poise, his confidence and his mind, and he was always an intense competitor,” Hynes said. “He had a fire to him.”
By 2006-07, Kane believed he could become a professional hockey player, but he was still only 17 to start the season. He had nine points (five goals, four assists) in seven games for the United States at world juniors and 145 points (62 goals, 83 assists) in 58 games for London of the OHL, leading the league in scoring.
