With the Chicago Blackhawks opening training camp on Friday morning at the University of Notre Dame, members of the Chicago brass took to the microphones on Thursday afternoon to address the serious situation involving superstar Patrick Kane.
The biggest surprise of the day, however, was the fact that Kane actually appeared alongside team president John McDonough, general manager Stan Bowman, and head coach Joel Quenneville.
In an opening statement, Kane stated that this entire situation has been an “incredibly difficult time” for a number of people, and offered his apologies to those involved.
“I cannot apologize enough for the distraction this has caused my family, teammates, this incredible organization and our fans,” he said during a press conference that was streamed on CSN Chicago.
He added, “Once all the facts come to light, I am confident I will be absolved of having done nothing wrong.”
After his short statement, as well as one from McDonough stating that the team decided to bring Kane in based on information that was currently presented to the team, any questions surrounding the case were pushed to the side in favor of hockey questions. When asked if he felt that he embarrased the organization, Kane said that though he respects the question, he wasn’t going to answer it out of respect for the ongoing investigation.
Kane has not been formally charged for the alleged sexual assault that took place at his Hamburg, NY residence during the early morning hours of August 2. There were reports that the two parties had discussed a possible settlement. However, based on Kane’s statement, it appears that it’s not looking likely at this time.
