Patrick “Showtime” Kane, Hart trophy winner, three-time Stanley Cup Champion and the widely-regarded best American-born NHL player of all time is back to the game he loves, and to the astonishment of fans all across the world, he has returned to the league in a Detroit Red
Wings jersey.

After struggling with a hip injury in his final season with the Chicago Blackhawks, and then all throughout his single season with the New York Rangers, Kane underwent a hip-resurfacing surgery on June 1, 2023. It was only on December 7 when Kane was finally able to transition from recovery to ice time when the Wings faced off against the San Jose Sharks. Although it was a loss for the Wings, Kane’s first game in Detroit provided fans a taste of what “Showtime”’s uniquely talented skill set will bring to the team.

In the mere 13 days Kane has played with the Red Wings, he has made it abundantly clear that he is and will continue to be a critical player in spite of his injury and his age, which at 35, is considered relatively old in the world of professional sports. In just his second game with the Wings, Kane scored his first goal, and in classic Kane-fashion as well: a beautifully placed shot with an equally-admirable celly.

In that same game, a frightening incident occurred in which the Red Wings’ captain Dylan Larkin was knocked unconscious by a player on the opposing team. Although he was eventually able to skate off the ice, Larkin was unable to join his team in a game for over a week, and in the ensuing scrum after the incident, Larkin’s linemate David Perron took a penalty that resulted in a six-game suspension. This gap in the lineup, although detrimental to the Red Wings’ overall performance, allowed Kane ample ice time, during which he has been able to grow increasingly comfortable with the in-game team dynamics, and begin to carve out his own unique place on the team as he once did for the Chicago Blackhawks.

If you were to strictly look at stats, Kane’s performance so far this season might seem relatively unremarkable, and in comparison to his earlier years, may even seem like a significant step down. If you watch him in action though, and you see the plays he is setting up, the shots he is getting off and then following up on and the passes he’s able to connect in the offensive zone, it becomes clear that the only thing separating the “old” Patrick Kane from the one we see now is time, and if given it, we will likely see a performance that closely mirrors Kane’s play at the pique of his career. At the end of the day, this could be the final push the Red Wings need to once again be a Stanley Cup contender.