Blackhawks’ Kane enjoys taste of ‘reality’
Now Patrick Kane knows how the stars of reality TV feel.
The day-in-the-life series “NHL 36” by NHL Original Productions debuts Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on Versus, with Kane the series’ first subject.
Cameras followed Kane around for 36 hours last week at home and away from the rink for the 30-minute documentary.
“It’s 36 hours, camera in your face, microphone on, it’s a little bit different,” Kane said. “You feel bad for the reality stars who have to go through it every day.
“It was fun and a different experience. It was pretty cool thinking a camera was following me around to see what you’re doing throughout your daily life. I tried not to change things and just be myself. Hopefully it turns out good.”
Being the first player chosen for the series is further proof of Kane’s status as one of the league’s superstars.
“I think that’s pretty special,” Kane said. “For whatever reason, I was picked. I think we kind of jumped on the opportunity and said we’d do it right away, maybe that’s why.
“We had the day off Sunday (Dec. 4), so I did some different things. I watched some football, went to lunch, went to the Blackhawks store, walked around the city. Monday was a game day (against Phoenix).
“It was kind of weird, you’re sitting there taping your sticks and there’s a camera in your face.”
Western showdown:Call it the biggest game so far for the Hawks, who play Western Conference leader Minnesota at the Excel Energy Center on Wednesday night.The surprising Wild took a seven-game winning streak into their game at Winnipeg on Tuesday.#147;Watching them you have an appreciation for how well they check and how well they#146;re playing in their team game,#148; Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. #147;Whether it#146;s timely saves or timely goals, they have a lot of things going in a positive way for them. They have a good, young team and it#146;s a fun place to play.#148;Rookie Wild coach Mike Yeo certainly is the leading candidate for the Adams Trophy as coach of the year.#147;They#146;ve been an unbelievable team this year,#148; Patrick Kane said. #147;You can#146;t really put your finger on what makes them so good. It#146;s just a collective team effort.#147;This is a big game for us. We definitely want to gain some ground on them. Hopefully we can win the game and show them we#146;re for real, too. We#146;re not going to take them lightly.#148;It#146;s Emery again:Joel Quenneville will give backup goalie Ray Emery his third straight start in Wednesday#146;s game against the Wild.Emery has won his last three starts over St. Louis, the Islanders and San Jose and is 6-1-2 for the season.#147;When a goalie gets a chance to get the net you don#146;t want to disrupt it,#148; Quenneville said. #147;You let him go and give him some confidence by putting him back in net. He#146;s giving us what we#146;re looking for. Ray deserves the chance to keep it going.#148;