Kane's big day comes when U.S. team is announced
Patrick Kane walked a tightrope Friday morning, talking about a U.S. Olympic team he hasn't officially made.
But there will be no surprise phone calls or anxious moments for Kane today when the American team is announced in Boston at the Winter Classic.
Kane not only will make the Olympic squad, he will be one of the stars of a U.S. team that hopes to surprise powers Canada, Russia and Sweden at Vancouver in February.
Canada and the U.S. are in the same division and will meet on Sunday, Feb. 21 at GM Place. That means Kane going head-to-head with Blackhawks teammates Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews.
"If I'm lucky enough to play for my team it will be fun to play against those guys," Kane said. "Obviously it will be a little different. At the World Championships we still hung out with each other and when we played each other I wouldn't say we went all out against each other, but this is the Olympics and it's going to be a lot different. It's definitely something you're going to take a lot more seriously."
As one of the Americans' top offensive players, Kane is certain to match up at some point against Keith and Seabrook.
"If you look at (Canada's) defense, they're probably the hardest two to play against," Kane said. "I've never played against them before so it'll be pretty interested to see."
Unlike Kane, his Hawks teammate Dustin Byfuglien definitely is on the bubble when it comes to making the 23-man U.S. squad.
Byfuglien claimed he wasn't going to lose any sleep worrying about making it.
"I haven't really been thinking about it too much," Byfuglien said. "I guess when you guys come asking me more I guess I think about it more. I'm just going to sit here and wait. There's nothing I can do but hope for the best."
Happy for them: Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook deserved to make the Canadian Olympic team.
"It's a great honor and it'll be a lot of fun for them," Quenneville said. "It was three guys that at the start of the year you wondering if they could make it and they all got on it. It's a feather in their cap and a compliment to how they have played this year. They've been a big part of our success."
Change is good: New Jersey's loss was Chicago's gain last summer when center John Madden left the Devils after nine seasons to sign with the Hawks as a free agent.
Madden has been a key for the Hawks on the ice and in the dressing room. While he loved his time in New Jersey, Madden has been a perfect fit with the Hawks.
"I've really enjoyed being here and being a Hawk and being with the guys in this room," Madden said. "Not once have I looked back and thought I made a mistake at all."
Done deal: Defenseman Shawn Lalonde, drafted 68th overall in 2008 by the Hawks, has signed a three-year contract.