Chicago Blackhawks’ winger, Patrick Kane, accepted his role as Captain America and led Team USA to a victory over Team Canada in the Bronze medal game in the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championship. Team USA Head Coach, Jeff Blashill, knew all about Kane before the tournament since he had coached against him and immediately knew how important Kane would be for the team this year.
Team USA🇺🇸 coach Jeff Blashill on Patrick Kane #CaptainKane pic.twitter.com/72s4rAwSgR
— IT’S OFFSZN, HAWKS FAM! — News & player sightings! (@offseasonbhawks) May 15, 2018
I think it is pretty safe to say that Coach Blashill was right to trust his instincts. Kane displayed his innate ability to make things happen for himself and his teammates in the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championship tournament, and he also went on to break records.
Patrick Kane Dominates 2018 IIHF Tournament
Kane easily won the MVP of the IIHF tournament, with 8 goals and 12 assists, which also set new U.S. records in Men’s tournament play.
The 2018 IIHF World Hockey Championship MVP – Patrick Kane. pic.twitter.com/tingQ7KM6K
— Aivis Kalniņš (@A_Kalnins) May 20, 2018
Kane also led the entire IIHF tournament in scoring with 20 points in just 10 games and seemed to have rediscovered the beautiful form that won him the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP), Art Ross Trophy (Scoring Champion), and Ted Lindsay Award (Most Outstanding Player) in 2016.
Bronze medal secured. History made for Patrick Kane: https://t.co/MzyYm6Lbf7 pic.twitter.com/jW4uaqrBS7
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) May 20, 2018
He did not do it alone though, as Team USA was filled with current and former Blackhawks players such as Alex DeBrincat, Connor Murphy (Assistant Captain), Jordan Oesterle, and Scott Darling.
Not a great shot of it, but the four Hawks on Team USA and old friend Scott Darling got together for a bronze medal photo after the game. pic.twitter.com/ADBC9dDcfN
— Dave Melton (@_DaveMelton) May 20, 2018
Kane and the Cat Create Magic Together
As I had mentioned in my last article about Team USA and Patrick Kane, Kane and Alex DeBrincat are simply unstoppable when they play together on the same line. Last season for the Blackhawks, Head Coach Joel Quenneville did not let Kane and DeBrincat work together very often. I am not sure what his reasoning was and it baffles my mind, but I think their tournament success might sway him a bit. Here’s another reminder of what this dynamic duo can do when they are playing on the same line.
DeBrincat and Kane have been great together at #IIHFWorlds. Should that line experiment continue with #Blackhawks next season? https://t.co/KJkZN9vmOL pic.twitter.com/NxIVmEmoqo
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) May 8, 2018
Anybody with a decent pair of eyes can see just how electric these two guys are when they’re out in space on the wings and able to show off their playmaking abilities.
Looking Ahead to the 2018-19 Season
If I had the privilege of making the lines for the Blackhawks, I would immediately pair DeBrincat and Kane up and pencil in somebody like Nick Schmaltz at the center position, since he has already had success with Patrick Kane last season, and also, plays really well on both ends of the ice. He would also be able to keep up with their tempo and chip in with a few points of his own.
If Coach Q was not feeling my Schmaltz suggestion, I also have another suggestion. Depending on how quickly young stud Dylan Sikura can develop, I would be extremely excited to see the 2014 Chicago Blackhawks’ 6th round pick get a shot to play on the same line as Kane and DeBrincat next season. I think he would add yet another bonafide playmaker to a line already overflowing with fear-inducing and gameplan altering abilities.
The 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championship definitely gave Blackhawks fans something to look forward to. Here’s to hoping that Coach Q and the Chicago Blackhawks’ organization also saw the same things that I saw in the tournament.
