By George Ofman
This is not the first time Patrick Kane is accused of Raising Cain. There was that celebrated cab incident in Buffalo. Now it’s those flirtatious photos of Kane in the back of a Vancouver limo. Even the Hawks leading scorer (perhaps in more ways than one) admits it’s time to raise Kane.
“I’m 21-years-old but it’s probably time to grow up,” Kane says.
Spoken like a youngster who just stole another cookie from the jar and got caught. I don’t think the Hawks PR staff had to script this one for the still maturing yet leading man of Chicago’s most dynamic sports franchise.
Being of legal age doesn’t always translate into being of sound mind and judgment. Been there, done that and I’ll bet most of you have been there, too.
I’m not trying to justify Kane’s actions in Vancouver, though he and his other shirtless teammates had to figure that where there are women, there are cell phones; and where there are cell phones, there are cameras’ and where there are cameras, there are photos; and, of course, where there are photos, there is the Internet.
Imagine Alan Funt, the creator of Candid Camera, the whimsical hidden camera television series which gained its real fame in the 60s, becoming a reality series today. Kane would be a bit player next to guys such as Greg Oden and Grady Sizemore.
Everyone seems to be having lots of fun with this latest incident – a pretty tame one – with the possible exception of John Madden, the 36-year-old teammate of Kane’s who was also in the limo. He has to answer to his wife! Wouldn’t you like to have a hidden camera for that exchange?
Yes, the shirts were off and, in Kane’s case, the trousers, as well. And there were beers in the pictures, too. Hanky Panky? Thank goodness we don’t have any photos of that.
What Kane has to realize is what Michael Phelps had to deal with: One photo can alter your life. The bong wasn’t wrong, but taking a hit at a party resulted in a rather big hit to Phelps’s image.
Kane’s image took a mini-hit after the taxi travail, but he overcame that rather quickly. Management may have been a bit peeved, but not for long. Kane was rewarded with a new contract worth over 30 million bucks. Oh to be 21, handsome and rich. I was only 21.
Kane likely will survive this folly. This is a good kid who happens to be a high-profile athlete in a major metropolis. What you do, what you say and whether it’s seen gets magnified to the nth degree, and with the Internet so omnipresent, and then some!
We are witnessing the growth of a wonder child who happened upon us as an 18-year-old. He was the first pick in the draft and he’s turned into a first-rate hockey player. Now he simply has to learn about priorities. He will, and probably with his shirt on.
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George Ofman is now with WGN radio after a 17-year run with The Score. He also blogs for ChicagoNow under the banner That’s All She Wrote.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on January 29, 2010