Will Kane answer wake-up call?

Like so many of this decade's draft picks, Patrick Kane arrived in Blackhawkland to nothing but positive publicity, tawdry promotion and stunning flash - but severely lacking substance.

He had never been coached before, told what to do or the right way to do it, and didn't get that direction his first year in Chicago when the message to Kane was that he was on his own program.

You can sum it all up with a December 2007 game against Nashville, when Kane was sent out on the ice with an empty net and the Hawks up a pair, an unusual move for a player who hadn't earned such a reward.

A cheap highlight in front of a large crowd, Kane got his goal and padded his stats while Dale Tallon and Denis Savard patted each other on the back.

The rookie was more certain than ever that the rules - written or not - did not apply to him.

No backchecking, accountability or responsibility, and none demanded from anyone on the team or around it.

Kane was the darling of all, worshipped and untouchable, the golden boy who could do no wrong.

Not until Joel Quenneville came in, and kicked the GM out of the locker room, did Kane begin to change a bit.

His ice time occasionally reduced under Coach Q. because of bad penalties or a refusal to help defensively, Kane made a small effort toward change.

But still there were too many times in the postseason when Kane disappeared, too unreliable to allow on the ice in crunchtime, and unwilling to move through high traffic areas.

Even the most Kool-Aid drunk fans had to wonder if Kane would be the one to go if the Hawks couldn't afford to keep the big three restricted free agents next summer. He was certainly not a Bowman family-type player, or one Quenneville wanted to baby-sit, the antithesis of Jonathan Toews.

Now comes the arrest in Buffalo, followed by the embarrassment for Kane and his family, not to mention Tallon, who drafted Kane No. 1 and continually talked about him being a character player when others with unbiased eyes could see the selfish play and stat-first attitude.

In reality, this incident has hurt no one but the cabbie, Kane and those closest to Kane, and rather than the sky falling on current Hawks management - which did not select him - this could be the very break they needed with Kane.

While we're sorry for the injuries to the cabbie - and we assume Kane will pay a heavy monetary price for that - this may be the first time Kane has ever been truly humbled.

And that's a good thing.

This reality check is much better than any benching Quenneville could have delivered, and there have been players in the past who - put dramatically in their place - have turned on a dime after an incident like this.

If Kane answers this wake-up call and realizes he is neither invincible nor incapable of following the rules, not immune to the difficulties of real life, he might just grow up.

He might be asking himself right now if enjoying life as Patrick Kane on the streets of America is more important than winning, because few have been able to do both.

Some in his position, after such trouble, have dedicated themselves to being a model teammate, responsible player and quality citizen.

If Kane does that, he could become an NHL superstar, rather than just an offensive player who enjoys hearing the cheers after he pads his stats with an empty-netter.

He should know that in a long career he'd make more money in the NHL as a complete player, though in the short term he just cost himself money in the long-term deal he seeks from the Hawks, that Buffalo arrest draped around his back.

When Kane attends a pre-Olympic camp next week at Seven Bridges - after appearing in a Buffalo court Monday - he's going to face more cameras than he has ever seen before, even more than after his spectacular Game 6 performance against Vancouver.

But rather than a nightmare, he should embrace it as an opportunity, the chance to show humility and remorse, to apologize for what he has done, and admit he needs to change his ways.

While this is a difficult time for Kane, there is much positive that can come of it for the Hawks on the ice and off, from a hockey and financial standpoint.

He can continue to be the kid who stood alone in the neutral zone in the All-Star Game this year, 50 feet behind his nearest opponent, waiting for the puck in an embarrassing and desperate admission of his need for a breakaway goal - and some attention.

Or, he can be a player who cares about more than just his own glory in a sport that despises selfish play and demands team effort.

The time for vanity is over, and the time for learning has begun.

We all screw up, but Kane, who doesn't turn 21 until November, must grow up if he wants to put this behind him.

He can live on as carefree Kaner, or he can become a contrite young man.

He can turn this negative into a positive.

It's entirely up to Patrick Kane.

brozner@dailyherald.com