Report: Kane in camp? Blackhawks not certain
The Chicago Blackhawks will begin training camp Friday at Notre Dame, but it’s unclear whether star forward Patrick Kane will be there.
Kane remains the subject of a police investigation amid allegations of rape in western New York. He has not been charged with a crime. A grand jury is reportedly expected to convene “soon” to review the case after it was postponed on Sept. 8. The indefinite timeline leaves Kane’s status for camp in doubt.
TSN’s Darren Dreger said Monday night that it appears likely that Kane will be allowed to participate considering that no charges have been filed and that there were no logistical holdups. According to Dreger (via ProHockeyTalk), a decision on Kane’s status should be known in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reported shortly thereafter that the Blackhawks still don’t know if Kane will be able to be in camp.
#Blackhawks still have no update as to whether Patrick Kane will be at training camp or not. Camp opens Friday at #NotreDame.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 14, 2015
The clock is ticking and the league, the team and Kane’s representatives, perhaps with input from the NHLPA, have to weigh if Kane being in camp is the best idea. The media crush will be bad enough without him there. It only intensifies, as does public scrutiny, if Kane is in camp while the investigation surrounding him remains unresolved, even though there have been no charges.
It appears that the league could still suspend Kane while the investigation remains open under Rule 18-A.5 of the collective bargaining agreement: “The League may suspend the Player pending the League’s formal review and disposition of the matter where the failure to suspend the Player during this period would create a substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the League.”
Based on what Dreger said, it doesn’t seem like that’s a road the NHL is prepared to take yet, which is going to make for a very interesting few days as this unfolds.
Just last week, commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would watch how the legal process plays out and look into things at the “appropriate time.” That time is just about here, but it seems we’ll know more about Kane’s status, at least as far as the league is concerned, very soon.
Patrick Kane’s status for training camp remains up in the air, but should be known soon. (USATSI)
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