Blackhawks clear Kane for 'full participation'

The Chicago Blackhawks have cleared Patrick Kane for full participation. (USATSI)

It looks like Patrick Kane is back.

Just a few hours after coach Joel Quenneville said that Patrick Kane “could” be ready to make his return to the lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Nashville Predators, the team announced on Monday evening that Kane has been cleared for full participation.

“Patrick Kane suffered a broken left clavicle on February 24, and underwent successful surgery to repair the fracture on February 25,” Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry said in a team statement. “Patrick has been working extremely diligently with his rehabilitation and has recently returned to full-contact practice without any difficulty. After discussions with Patrick and the team, and examining Patrick today, we collectively feel it is appropriate, with minimal risk, for him to return to full participation.”

When Kane was injured in late February the early timetable for his return had him coming back to the lineup perhaps as late as the Western Conference Final.

Obviously, things progressed better than expected for Kane and the Blackhawks.

At the time of his injury Kane was the NHL’s leading scorer with 64 points in 61 games, and even though he missed 21 games on the season he still finished as the team’s second leading scorer, just two points behind Jonathan Toews, who did not pass him on the team’s leaderboard until April 3.

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