Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane took the ice with a heavy heart Monday night.
Shortly before puck drop, Kane was informed that his grandfather, with whom he was very close, had died.
“Just a tough day overall,” Kane told reporters after the game. “He was one of my great friends growing up. Just a really sad day. It was important to get the win, but any time you get someone taken away from you that’s so close to you, means so much, it’s tough to hear that right before the game, for sure.”
Though hockey was far from the only thing on Kane’s mind entering the matchup with the Los Angeles Kings, the Team USA star proceeded to have one of his best games of the season. Kane beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick for a power-play goal just 1:02 into the first period, and he later added another goal and an assist in a 5-3 Blackhawks win.
“He’s a proud guy, and I think his grandfather meant a lot to him,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said, via The Associated Press. “It was probably an emotional night for him, but he played an unbelievable game.”
See Kane’s first tally of the night as well as his emotional postgame interview in the videos below.
