Chicago Blackhawks: Kane soaks in the the memory of Stanley Cup win
In the absence of puck drops, blocked shots, crushing checks, sweet passes, blistering one-timers and sprawling saves, Patrick Kane is staying busy ... and sharp.
The NHL on Monday continued its series of video conferences with some of the game's brightest stars, this time featuring Kane, Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele and the Islanders' Mathew Barzal. They provided insight into the minds of three true "students of the game," as the moderator put it.
It also spiraled into a bizarre trivia game during the last 10 minutes, with the players being asked questions on the game's history.
Kane, not surprisingly, destroyed his younger opponents.
The Hawks' star, who has been in his Chicago condo since the NHL suspended its season due to COVID-19, is doing his best to stay in shape by using a Pilates studio in his building. He's also playing Xbox on line with his friends as well as watching replays of the Hawks' 2010 title run, which have been running on NBC Sports Chicago.
"It's kind of fun to look back and see how good of a team that was and how we played back then," Kane said.
Much of the Q&A revolved around which players this trio would like to be on the ice with in certain situations. The one caveat: they couldn't select a current teammate.
We'll run their answers in three separate stories in print Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Q: You're on a 2-on-1 and you have the puck. Which forward do you want on the other side to take the one-timer?
A: No surprise here - Kane selected Artemi Panarin.
Said Kane: "The way he sees the game and the way he plays it was very similar to the way that I saw the game. Just really, really fun hockey. Just playing off each other (and) hanging out on our sides. Almost mirroring each other on what the other person was going to do.
"That was probably the most fun hockey I've ever played. ... If I'm coming down on a 2-on-1 ... throw him a little saucer pass and he's going to bang it in the net most of the time."
Barzal, who has 59 goals in 234 games in three seasons with the Isles, said Alex Ovechkin if the other player is coming down the left side, and Kane if he's coming down the right.
Q: Flip it around: It's a 2-on-1 and you're getting set to shoot. Who do you want making the pass?
A: Scheifele, who has averaged 30.2 goals the last five seasons, would pick Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos. "He's not known for his passing, but I've skated with him a lot over the years and he does this little 2-on-1 pass that's pretty nifty."
Kane said Edmonton's Connor McDavid, who he called the best passer in the league. "He's got the speed coming down to kind of manipulate that defender and maybe make him think he's going to the net as well."
Q: Who is the most annoying shot blocker?
A: Kane went with former teammate Niklas Hjalmarsson, now with Arizona.
"I've seen this guy just eat pucks his whole career," Kane said. "That's just how he plays the game. He just wants to block shots. ...
"It's hilarious to see him block a couple shots and then he'll be hobbling around, but then he still gets up and blocks the next one. And then he'll hobble back to the bench and be out there the next shift.
"The guy's a warrior."
• Twitter: @johndietzdh