Kane passes Modano to become all-time leading U.S.-born scorer

Patrick Kane became the all-time leading scorer among United States-born players on Thursday.

The Detroit Red Wings forward got his 1,375th NHL point with an assist at 9:52 of the second period against the Washington Capitals at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Kane got the record-breaking point on Ben Chiarot's goal, a one-timer from the point that tied the game 1-1. Kane skated the puck toward the left corner before passing to Alex DeBrincat in the circle, who spun and reversed the puck out to Chiarot for the shot.

That came after he tied the record with an assist on DeBrincat's goal at 17:45 of the third period in a 3-1 home loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old, who is in his 19th NHL season, passed the previous mark set by Mike Modano, who until Tuesday had held sole possession of the record since Nov. 7. 2007, when he got his 1,233rd point to pass Phil Housley.

Modano, who played his first 20 NHL seasons with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars, finished his career with the Red Wings in 2010-11 with 1,374 points (561 goals, 813 assists).

“I never really thought about any American scoring records or being a top American player of all time, right?” Kane said recently. “You’re just playing.”

Nicknamed Showtime, Kane had 1,225 points (446 goals, 779 assists) in 1,161 games for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2007-23. He won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, plus the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2007-08, the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2012-13, and the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion and Hart Trophy as League MVP in 2015-16.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Kane was selected No. 1 by Chicago in the 2007 NHL Draft. In addition to his time with the Blackhawks and Red Wings, he played 19 games for the New York Rangers in 2022-23.

“I think he’ll be the most recognized [American player] for a long, long time,” Modano said recently. “I mean, with the Stanley Cups and the personal awards and the numbers and the longevity and everything else, I think he will go down as one of the best, obviously.

“You can debate players from different generations, but bottom line, he’s played a long time. He’s put up some great numbers. Those Blackhawk runs were phenomenal, those playoff years that they had. They had quite an amazing team. Obviously, well deserving for whatever era he played in.”

Before Modano, Housley held the record for most points by a U.S.-born player, getting his 1,064th point on March 13, 1999, to pass Joe Mullen. He finished with 1,232 points (338 goals, 894 assists) in 2002-03.

“There have been a lot of great players, believe me,” Housley said recently of Kane. “But to see what he’s done and overcome too with injuries later in his career, he takes care of himself. He trains hard. Even at this stage in his career, he’s still an asset for Detroit. He can still play at a high level.

“But I think you’d have to think that he definitely is the top player. This is my opinion, but he’s the top player in American history.”

NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report