For being the future of the Blackhawks, Patrick Kane sure knows his history.
Moments after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft, the newest Hawk realized he had joined some select company.
“It’s unbelievable if you look at players who have gone No. 1,” Kane said. “[Vincent] Lacavalier, [Sidney] Crosby, [Alexander] Ovechkin all went No. 1 and they seem to be taking over the league.”
The Hawks and general manager Dale Tallon are hoping Kane follows in their footsteps and becomes the future of the franchise — sooner rather than later.
“We’re going to be a young team so he will get every opportunity to play,” Tallon said after making the first No. 1 selection in Hawks history Friday night at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. “We’ll put him with good players and see what happens. We’re going to give him a good chance to make this club.”
Tallon used what he called “an historic pick” for the 5-foot-10-inch, 160-pound Kane, who scored 62 goals with 83 assists for 145 points in 58 games for London of the highly regarded Ontario Hockey League.
“We like his ability to play in traffic, his ability to make other players better and his confidence,” Tallon said. “He can score and pass and he’s fearless, so he has something special.”
The only knock on Kane, 19, is his size, but neither he nor Tallon appear concerned.
“In the last game of the playoffs against Plymouth he got hammered from behind and it looked like he broke his neck,” Tallon said. “He got back up and had three points and played great. The size issue was put to bed.”
Kane isn’t worried.
“This is just another chapter in the book,” he said. “I’ve always had to prove myself.
“I’m going to work hard this summer and get stronger and try and give myself the best chance I can [to make the team].”
Tallon chose Kane over left winger James vanRiemsdyk and center Kyle Turris, who were the next two selections by the Philadelphia Flyers and Phoenix Coyotes, respectively.
Kane went from high school in Buffalo to the Ontario league, where he captured both the OHL and CHL scoring titles. With vanRiemsdyk from Middletown, New Jersey, it was the first time the first two selections were U.S.-born players.
Kane joins Jonathan Toews (No. 3 overall pick last year) and Jack Skille (No. 7 overall in 2005) to form a nucleus of young players that Tallon hopes will breathe life into the struggling franchise.
“We felt that he fit in nicely with Toews and all the other kids we have and I think his offensive abilities will make other players better around him. He certainly will make our power play better,” Tallon said. “He’s a wonderful player and a really good person off the ice. He has passion and charisma and all the things that will help sell the game in Chicago — and that’s what we need.”
Hawks coach Denis Savard watched the draft among Blackhawks fans at the United Center and came away pleased with what he saw.
“I’m excited,” Savard said. “Dale likes [Kane] a lot and he’s going to be a good player for a long time. This is a good day for the Blackhawks.”
Rounds 2-7 will be Saturday and the Hawks have the 35th and 56th picks with which to add depth to their system.
