Is Kane Red Wings Version of Pudge?

When Patrick Kane was making the choice to remain with the Detroit Red Wings, it was cause for a combination of excitement and relief among both the team’s braintrust and the club’s fanbase.

“Pat had a lot of options,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “He had different options as far as term also.”

As an unrestricted free agent, Kane could’ve chosen any NHL team. He chose to stay put.

https://baseballhall.org/discover/Rodriguez-signing-sparks-Tigers-turnaround#:~:text=It%20started%20with%20the%20Hall,6%2C%202004.

“In my conversations with him, his heart was here,” Lalonde said. “It speaks volumes about Patrick and it also speaks about what we’re doing here the last couple of years.”

The situation is also reminiscent of what took place two decadaes ago with the other big-league franchise under the ownership of the Ilitch family, the MLB Detroit Tigers.

In 2004, the Tigers were wallowing. They’d lost an American League-record 119 games in 2003.

That winter, they convinced 10-time All-Star catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to sign with the team. Instantly, the Tigers had new-found legitimacy.

Like Kane, Rodriguez was a former MVP. As with Kane, who last season was coming back from experimental hip surgery, Rodriguez was a player in his 30s playing the sport’s most demanding position with lingering back issues. Teams were wary to sign him.

The Tigers were the ones who stepped up and it was the first step toward what would be a World Series appearance in 2006.

Red Wings Already Benefitting From Kane’s Presence

Top MLB players began following Rodriguez to Detroit. That, coupled with a strong influx of homegrown talent, propeled the Tigers back to prominence.

Certainly, the Red Wings were further along the rebuilding curve upon Kane’s arrival last November. Definitely, that was playing a role in his decision to re-up with the club.

“My heart was set on being back with Detroit,” Kane said. “I feel like it was, it was a good fit for me, but I also feel like it was a good fit for the team and I feel like I fit in well with the lineup and with the players and the guys.

Patrick Kane, maybe the best #LGRW salesman there is — telling Tarasenko about metro Detroit: pic.twitter.com/1qSVGJyVVU

— Rachel Hopmayer (@rachelhopmayer) July 8, 2024

“So I was looking forward to just kind of building on what we went through last year.”

Already, Kane’s decision is having positive ramifications on the roster. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko, the club’s biggest offseason addition, was admitting that Kane’s presence was helping to convince him that Detroit was the place for him.

“I talked to Kaner,” Tarasenko said. “There is a lot of guys who used to play in St. Louis, a lot of familiar faces. They all say only good things about Detroit, the city and the team.

“That’s why we decided to come.”