Kane trying to keep out of trouble this summer
Patrick Kane’s summer has gotten off to a quiet start, which is just how the Blackhawks like it.
“It was crazy at first, but it slowed down when I went back to Buffalo, and I’ve kind of been relaxing ever since,” Kane said Friday at the opening of the Hawks’ annual convention. “I’ve skated probably five times so far, and I’ve started working out. It’s exciting to do things to get ready for the season because it is such a short summer.”
Kane’s recent summers have been mostly eventful in a negative way, including last year when he got caught by camera phones enjoying Cinco de Mayo a little too much in Madison, Wis.
“I’ve been trying to relax and enjoy it, trying to keep myself out of trouble, I guess, keep myself maturing as a person,” Kane said. “It seems to be easier these days as I get older.
“You’re obviously still going to have your fun; you still feel like you’re a young kid. But at the same time what’s happened the first six years of my career, I feel like I can still improve a lot more as a player and maybe accomplish more with this team.”
Kane said it’s not easy to avoid problems off the ice because of all the social media out there.
“It’s hard to the point where there’s so much social media and so many cameras and people who want to take pictures where anything you do is going to be under the microscope and people are going to report it,” Kane said.
“Especially these days where if something is even minor and it’s something that I do, it’s going to be reported because of things that have happened in the past. You’ve got to be aware of that.”
More Q fans:Defenseman Duncan Keith is glad Joel Quenneville will be around four more years as Hawks head coach.#147;I think you always know what you#146;re going to get with him, and I think that#146;s probably the biggest thing for us, why we have success,#148; Keith said. #147;He#146;s levelheaded, brings that even-keel attitude to the team.#148;Patrick Kane likes how Quenneville handles team business behind closed doors.#147;He#146;s never in front of anyone; he never embarrasses anyone,#148; Kane said.No shows:Brent Seabrook has a good excuse to skip this year#146;s convention: His wife is expecting the couple#146;s first child any day now in British Columbia.Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger have a good reason to be absent as Oduya and Kruger will be attending Hjalmarsson#146;s wedding this weekend.Marian Hossa and Nikolai Khabibulin also are not attending the convention.Bickell#146;s big day:Bryan Bickell is getting married next Saturday but says the Stanley Cup won#146;t be on hand.#147;She#146;d kill me if that happens,#148; Bickell said. #147;It#146;s her day and it#146;s our day and we didn#146;t want to have the Cup at the wedding, so we#146;ll make another day for it.#148;Bickell has the cast off his left thumb following off-season surgery and expects to be close to 100 percent for the start of training camp.Tip-in:Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman said the process is ongoing to find a goalie coach to replace Stephane Waite, who left for the same position in Montreal.