The Chicago Blackhawks won in a thriller on Tuesday night. Patrick Kane provided a helper in that game that made history.
Kane recorded his 894th assist on Tuesday, tying Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley in the process. Here’s the kicker: it took Housley 1,487 games to get there. Kane reached the milestone in just 1,376 games. Once Kane lands one more assist, he will officially take the lead in helpers among American-born players.
Best yet, Kane will get there in a Blackhawks uniform. Ironically, Housley also played for the Blackhawks when he landed that 894th assist. It occurred on Jan. 26th, 2003, in a loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Housley was in the final season of his career. He would play eight more regular-season games after that, suiting up in his final game with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As for Kane, he has a lot of time to pull away from Housley. He also has a legitimate chance to be the first American-born player to hit 1,000 assists. Kane is currently signed to a two-year contract with Chicago and is just 106 assists away from getting there.
The Play That Sealed Patrick Kane’s 894th Assist
Kane’s big moment came at the 10:32 mark in the second period. With the Blackhawks up 2-1, Kane took the puck behind the net in the offensive zone on a pass from Bo Byram. He passed the puck along the boards and found Artyom Levshunov near the blue line.
As Kane made his way to the right circle, Levshunov pitched him the puck. Kane bolted toward the blue line while Levshunov skated toward the circle, and Kane made a strong-side pass. That threw off the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ defense and created nothing but open ice for Levshunov.
Once the Penguins figured out what was happening and skated toward him, Levshunov found Roman Kantserov right in front of the crease near the blue paint. Kantserov got his stick on the puck to deflect it into the net, giving Kane the secondary assist on the play.
Kane Keeps Adding To His Hall of Fame Resume
Besides notching 894 career assists, Kane has 509 goals and 1,403 points. In January of this year, Kane passed Mike Modano to become the all-time leading American-born point producer in NHL history.
Kane is also within striking distance of tying and ultimately passing Modano in goals scored. Modano found the net 561 times in his Hall of Fame career, and Kane can get there if he averages 26 goals in each of the next two seasons. While he isn’t the player he was during his first run with the Blackhawks, Patrick Kane is still productive enough to get there.
Kane also won three Stanley Cups with Chicago and has won the Hart, Conn Smythe, Ross, and Lindsay Awards. He took the Calder Trophy as a rookie and has never looked back. Now, Kane is overseeing a Blackhawks team that remains in transition.
He will get a chance to hold the record for himself when the Blackhawks take on the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane Reaches Historic NHL Mark Faster Than Phil Housley