Hawks' Kane to play hockey in Switzerland

Blackhawks franchise forward Patrick Kane confirmed on Tuesday that he will play for the Swiss National League A team EHC Biel during the NHL lockout.

This is a development that should make the Hawks nervous and concerned since Kane will be risking injury every time he steps on the ice in Switzerland.

It's only a matter of time before captain Jonathan Toews heads overseas as well. Both Kane and Toews are represented by the same agent, Pat Brisson.

Kane will honor his commitment to play in Friday's “Champs for Charity” game at Allstate Arena. He will leave for Switzerland on Sunday.

On his Twitter account, @88pkane, Kane wrote: “Excited and thankful to join EHC Biel in the Swiss League. Looking forward to the experience.”

Kane is the fifth Hawks player headed overseas during the lockout, joining Viktor Stalberg, Bryan Bickell, Michal Rozsival and Michael Frolik.

Meanwhile, in a collective bargaining development Tuesday, for 48 hours last week, the NHL allowed its owners and general managers to answer questions directly from their players regarding the league's latest CBA proposal.

The NHL Players Association was not pleased about not being informed about the window of opportunity.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to TSN's Pierre LeBrun on ESPN.com that the league sent out a legal memo to its clubs that outlined the specifics of what could be discussed.

“Most owners are not allowed to attend bargaining meetings,” NHLPA counsel Steve Fehr said in a statement. “No owners are allowed to speak to the media about the bargaining. It is interesting that they are secretly unleashed to talk to the players about the meetings the players can attend, but the owners cannot.”

After an exchange of offers last week, commissioner Gary Bettman said a deal must be reached by Thursday in order to save a full 82-game regular season that begins on Nov. 2.

No further bargaining sessions are planned.