Following Patrick Kane's 500th career NHL goal, both he and longtime teammate Alex DeBrincat, along with coach Todd McClellan, discussed the weight of being with an Original Six franchise like the Red Wings.
The National Hockey League's newest 500-goal scorer is Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, who achieved what only 49 other players before him had achieved during Thursday's 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
Following Kane's historic tally in the third period, not only was he mobbed by his teammates on the ice, but he also received an extended standing ovation from the crowd at Little Caesars Arena.
Kane has only played for Original Six franchises, spending the bulk of his career with the Blackhawks and briefly with the New York Rangers before signing with the Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent in December 2023 following hip resurfacing surgery.
One of the key factors in Kane's decision to choose Detroit over other destinations was Alex DeBrincat, whom he had previously played with in Chicago.
DeBrincat was instrumental in recruiting Kane to Detroit, and the aura and magnitude of not only playing for an Original Six franchise but also pursuing another historic milestone as part of it have not been lost on him.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
"It's definitely special to be a part of Original Six teams, he's been on three, and when you get those milestones, you just are joined in with a special group of people," DeBrincat said of Kane. "You look up there and see how many guys have scored their 500th in a Red Wings uniform, the list is pretty cool. For him to be added to that list, I feel like I'm using the word cool a lot, but it's such a cool thing.
"We take a lot for granted in this life we live and playing in the NHL, but these are moments you can take back and know that you're gonna remember for the rest of your life."
Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan, who coached against Kane multiple times, not only as an assistant with the Red Wings but also as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings, considers it a privilege in his NHL career to have won the Stanley Cup with and currently coach an Original Six team.
"My first time through, I don't know if I appreciated it," he said. "I'd have gone anywhere to have the opportunity, but when you sit back and think about it, the people that I was fortunate enough to be around, being on an Original Six team, is a privilege."
McLellan played five NHL games during his playing career with the New York Islanders, and would work his way up through the ranks of coaching in various minor leagues to eventually become an assistant with the Red Wings in 2005 under Mike Babcock, eventually culminating in the club's 2008 Stanley Cup victory.
"To be in the League is a privilege, but (to be on) an Original Six Team, to talk through the locker room and the history of it, it's incredible," McLellan explained. "We're 100 years old, and now Kaner is a part of it. His picture will go up in the rink, and generations of Wings fans will go, 'I heard about that guy', and go look the goal up on the computer or whatever we use in the future, and they'll see it."
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.