Chicago Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane named to NHL Quarter-Century Team

The greatness of Chicago Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane continues to be acknowledged.

Kane was one of the seven players revealed today who were selected to the NHL Quarter-Century Team that was voted on by fans.

The NHL is revealing the players making this squad based on the decade they debuted. That means Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith will not be joining Kane despite those two having legendary careers in their own right.

However, it is kind of hard to bump off guys like Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin from this list.

Despite now playing for the rival Detroit Red Wings, Kaner will always be loved in Chicago for all the great moments he provided during his team wearing a Blackhawks sweater.

His greatest moment was when he scored the game-winning goal in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals that snapped the Hawks' 49-year championship drought.

While Toews was the leader of those three-time Stanley Cup-winning teams and Keith was the No. 1 defenseman, Kane was the superstar of those championship squads. It is no wonder he is receiving this honor.

He also won the 2008 Calder Trophy, the 2016 Hart Trophy, and was the Conn Smythe winner on the 2013 Stanley Cup-winning team.

Kane is second all-time in franchise history in points scored and assists. He ranks third in goals and games played in Blackhawks history.

Fans are still hoping the Blackhawks have a reunion with the legend, but that is not going to happen.

He is set to be a free agent again this offseason.

The front office has made it clear that they want this team to be Connor Bedard's. While Kane would be a great mentor and a winger talented enough to skate with Bedard on the top line, the franchise does not seem interested in adding additional paragraphs to the greatest chapter in Hawks history.

They want to move forward with a new era of Hawks' hockey led by Bedard and the exciting collection of young prospects the team has.

Plus, Kane was not interested in being a part of a rebuild. It was one reason he authorized a trade to the New York Rangers during the end of the 2023 season.

It is doubtful he would want to come back considering the Hawks are in the same state in which he left the franchise.

While it hurt to see Kaner leave, he likely would have departed the Blackhawks in free agency as he wants to chase one more Stanley Cup.

Although the Blackhawks have the assets this offseason to hopefully exit this rebuild, it is still going to be a few more years before this franchise is contending for a title. With Kane being 36, he does not have that kind of time.

He is still playing at a high level; he is starting to show signs that his days of winning the Hart Trophy are long over. He has not had a 60-point season since the 2021-22 season.

He can still be a 50-60-point player for a contender, but it will not be with the Blackhawks.

While it would have been nice to see Marian Hossa, Keith, or Toews join Kane on this prestigious team, at least the superstar of those cup-winning teams is getting recognized for his greatness.