Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane was on the verge of the best season of his career before a cross-check from Florida Panthers defenseman Alex Petrovic put him out of action with a fractured left clavicle.
Initially, the injury was going to keep Kane out of action for 12 weeks, but the right-winger made his first appearance participating at Blackhawks practice and is looking good. Kane was skating on his own for the last couple of weeks for conditioning purposes, but his return to practice suggests he’s progressing much quicker than the Blackhawks originally expected.
Patrick Kane wearing the “don’t-touch-me” jersey. Nevertheless, practicing with the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/m7b9Yq43Sf
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) April 1, 2015
Patrick Kane at #Blackhawks practice. https://t.co/FhJSqGoUY0
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 1, 2015
Patrick Kane vs. Corey Crawford. #Blackhawks https://t.co/z7xi1aJaDo
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 1, 2015
Kane had surgery on the clavicle Feb. 25 and prior to the injury he had 27 goals and 37 assists in 61 games. The official timetable for Kane’s return has not changed, but his return to practice is certainly a welcomed sight.
Other Practice Notes
Rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk suffered an upper-body injury in Rockford and is considered day-to-day. Van Riemsdyk, 23, has played in Rockford while he gets back to form after suffering a left patella fracture against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 16. The injury occurred when van Riemsdyk took a shot off his left knee from Dallas’ Trevor Daley.
Patrick Sharp and Daniel Carcillo did not practice while Crawford was named the starter for Thursday’s game against Vancouver.
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