Is this Kane able?; No. 1 pick or not, London Knights' diminutive star forward accustomed to proving naysayers wrong: [Early Edition]
Cruickshank, Scott. Calgary Herald; Calgary, Alta. [Calgary, Alta]22 June 2007: D1 FRONT.
Patrick Kane took note of the agents, particularly the path they were beating to other lockers. He watched them buzz around his bigger teammates, glad-handing and pitching woo. This snub, a few years back, never sat well with the shrimpy boy from Buffalo. And, still steamed, here he is. Poised to go near the top of the National Hockey League's entry draft tonight -- maybe even first overall -- Kane . . . does . . . not . . . have . . . representation. He carries a grudge. But no agent.
"I felt that I was kind of left out," Kane explained to a wall of reporters at the NHL prospects luncheon Thursday at Nationwide Arena.
"The last couple years, they started to come around and really hound me. (But) I've gotten here by myself. I don't need an agent to represent me now. . . To be honest with you, I'm just being myself," said Kane. "I want to show the confidence I have in myself. If teams like that, that's great. If some have a problem with it, that's the kid I really am."
Kane is wee -- 160 pounds -- but, equally undisputed, is his talent. As a rookie for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, the right-winger led all major-junior skaters with 145 points, in only 58 games. However, whispers of disrespect continue.
"With my size, there's obviously a lot of doubt," said Kane. "But when I'm on the ice I never think about my size. I never think about any of that stuff."
One pro scout wondered out loud Thursday morning: "When was the last time a team was built around a five-foot-nine player?"
But don't low-riders such as Daniel Briere and Chris Drury thrive in the new NHL? So it must be frustrating to hear the concerns.
"What are you going to do? Everyone has their own opinion," said Kane, who, with the U.S. under-18 squad in 2005-06, shattered Phil Kessel's record for points. "The last two years, I think I really raised my stock. Hopefully, I can continue that into the NHL and keep proving people wrong."
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Leading up to Columbus, many observers were confident the Chicago Blackhawks would make Kane the No. 1 man. Now, there is momentum for another school of thought -- that Kyle Turris, coming off a fantastic Junior A winter in Burnaby, B.C., will go first. Which drops Kane to second and the Philadelphia Flyers. Or down to No. 3. Or even beyond.
"If it doesn't work out, I'm just going to have to fight through another adversity," he said. "Whatever team picks me, I'm going to try to make sure they made the right pick, have a good camp and make some statements."
Kane was certainly making statements after his chicken-and- lasagna lunch Thursday. Of the 17 prospects on hand for interviews, the smallest drew the biggest crowd.
"I've never had this many mikes in my face, but I guess it's all for a good cause," said Kane, who turns 19 in November. "It's all fun here. I'm not going to worry about the knocks against me. Hopefully, I can go as high as I can. If not, it's just another chapter in the books."
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