‘I still feel like there’s another level’: Even after hitting 500-goal mark, grind doesn’t stop for Kane

DETROIT -- The list of players to score 500 career NHL goals is already small, but the number of United States-born players to reach that rare scoring milestone is even smaller.

But Patrick Kane joined that exclusive club in the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night, when the 37-year-old forward netted goals No. 499 and 500 to put himself alongside fellow Americans Mike Modano (561), Keith Tkachuk (538), Jeremy Roenick (513) and Joe Mullen (502).

“I’m just kind of relieved to get it over with, to be honest with you,” said Kane, the 50th player in NHL history to reach the 500-career goal mark. “It’s still a really cool feeling, obviously, coming into [Thursday’s game] at 498 and scoring one in the first. I don’t usually play when the net’s empty, so it was nice to get that opportunity. Then when I came on the ice, just to hear the crowd erupt a little bit there was pretty cool. And then, obviously, getting the puck right away and having a chance to put it in the net for 500 was a great feeling.”

For Kane, accomplishing the feat carried even greater meaning because it came at Little Caesars Arena, in front of the fans that have embraced him from the moment the skilled veteran joined the Red Wings on Nov. 28, 2023.

“It’s incredible, the way they’ve welcomed me with open arms is something I’ll never forget,” Kane said. “You never really know how it’s going to be coming from Chicago too, right? Obviously, a storied rivalry between the Red Wings and Blackhawks, but just the welcoming from the fans, organization, team and everyone within the organization has been incredible.”

So was sharing the postgame experience with his five-year-old son, Patrick Kane III, who also fielded some postgame questions from the media.

“Usually, my son leaves the game early and they stuck around,” Kane said. “They were able to be part of it, come down to the locker room after. Just his reaction coming into the locker room, saying, ‘It was the best game ever. We won 5-1. My dad got 500 goals.’ That was something I’ll never forget.”

Recording the lone assist on Kane’s milestone tally, Andrew Copp said the energy in the building made the moment even more special.

“When he stepped onto the ice [on Thursday], they were excited and looking for him,” Copp said. “The play just kind of happened the way it did. I’m sure Kaner was looking for Cat to get him a little touch on that one, he probably deserved it based on how many goals they’ve been involved with together, but I think everyone was looking for 88.”

Kane’s Hockey Hall of Fame career has spanned 19 seasons, three Original Six clubs (Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Red Wings) and, as Alex DeBrincat said, includes many “individual awards, basically everything he can win.”

“You watch him growing up, he’s an American icon,” said DeBrincat, who also played alongside Kane on the Blackhawks from 2017-22. “He’s the best to ever do it. Going [to Chicago], you just try to soak up as much as you can from those guys. And there were a lot of those guys on the team at that time, but Kaner was definitely a guy I gravitated to and tried to learn from.”

But there was a time, specifically after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery on June 1, 2023, that Kane wasn’t sure if he was ever going to be able to play again.

“I had a lot of desire and determination to do everything right that I could, come back and feel good,” Kane said. “I’m in a spot where I feel really good physically. Just trying to get better with my all-around game and the way I’m playing right now, I still feel like there’s another level. Hopefully, this will take a little pressure off and start playing the way I know I can.”

Kane’s skill on the ice is obvious, but his second-to-none work ethic and competitiveness distinguish the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft from the rest.

“His passion for the game is evident every day he comes to the rink,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said about Kane. “He’s never down, bitching or wining. He just wants to play hockey. You can see it in his practice habits. With that many games, miles, surgeries and stuff like that, sometimes you want to cut him a little slack, but he doesn’t cut himself slack. He’s an easy guy to coach…His professionalism is through the roof.”

Having coached several star players over the years, McLellan said being around a skater like Kane on an Original Six team like the Red Wings is a professional opportunity he isn’t taking for granted.

“To be in the League is a privilege, but now to be on an Original Six team, walk through the locker room, the arena, the history, it’s incredible,” McLellan said. “We’re 100 years old. Kaner is part of that history. His picture is going to go up somewhere in the rink and generations of Wings fans are going to come and say, ‘I heard about that guy.’ They’ll go look the goal up on the computer, or whatever we’re using in the future, and see it.”