Photo Credit: USATSI
When one of the best players in any sport comes down with an injury, it ultimately becomes detrimental to their team and their fan base. Just a few weeks after Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers was pulled from the ice due to an injury that could have been fatal, a few days after Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat entered the hospital, and ironically on the same day it was announced that Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls was to undergo knee surgery, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks suffered an upper-body injury which could force him to be out for the rest of the regular season.
So far this season, Kane, who was crosschecked by the Florida Panthers’ Alex Petrovic on Tuesday night, has been a constant in a season of inconsistencies for his team. He has continued to pile up points, whether or not his team is doing well, and after crashing into the boards last night and injuring his upper-body, it is unclear whether or not the Blackhawks will hold up without him for the next 6-10 weeks.
At this rate in the season, there is little room to make mistakes and cost yourself a playoff spot, and if the Blackhawks want to keep themselves in fourth place of the Western Conference, they really need to work together and fill the void that is empty of Kane. After coming off of a bit of an embarrassing 6-2 home loss to the Boston Bruin’s on Sunday, and despite Kane’s injury, they pulled together to win the shootout they faced in Florida last night with a 3-2 victory. Though they are going to face nearly two months without the strong offensive skills of their teammate, they still have Corey Crawford, one of the top goaltenders in the league, to assist in keeping them alive on the ice.
Last season, Kane faced a knee injury that had him out for the final 12 regular season games, along with Jonathan Toews who was out for six of them. Both athletes returned in time for the playoffs.
