The Detroit Red Wings continue to look every bit like a contender this season. Sitting tied for first place in the Atlantic Division with a 25-15-4 record, Detroit has won four of its last six games and is building momentum at the right time.
That momentum carried into Thursday night’s 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. A game that also cemented Patrick Kane’s name in NHL history.
Red Wings’ Patrick Kane Sets New NHL Record vs. Canucks
Patrick Kane put on a classic performance, scoring twice to become only the fifth U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach 500 career goals, joining the elite company of Mike Modano (561), Keith Tkachuk (538), Jeremy Roenick (513), and Joe Mullen (502). He first scored his 499th goal at 19:31 of the opening period. With a wrist shot from the left circle on a 5-on-3 power play. Kane sealed the 500th goal late in the third with an empty-netter.
“I’m Just kind of relieved to get it over with, to be honest,” Kane said after the game. “It’s still a really cool feeling, obviously. Coming into tonight at 498 and scoring one in the first, and then I’m not usually on the ice when the net is empty.”
Kane noted that stepping on the ice to hear the crowd erupt was a thrilling experience. He added, “getting the puck right away and having a chance to put it in the net for 500 was a great feeling.”
With the milestone, Kane now sits sixth among active NHL players in goals, trailing Alex Ovechkin (915), Sidney Crosby (649), Steven Stamkos (600), Evgeni Malkin (523), and John Tavares (509). His 499th goal pushed Glenn Anderson into 50th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list.
The celebration carried into the locker room. Kane was greeted by teammates wearing custom shirts featuring “500” alongside his image and “Showtime” written on it. The moment clearly resonated.
Kane took time to thank his teammates. And he was especially moved by Captain Dylan Larkin’s speech, calling him a “classy person” as his words evoked a lot of emotion.
“That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said. “This organization took a chance on me a few years ago, coming back from a surgery that not a lot of guys have come back from, and now I’ve been here to be part of this group getting better and better.”
With Kane’s milestone secured and the team rolling, Detroit now turns its focus forward. They will next face the Canadiens on Saturday.