Patrick Kane Named To U.S. Olympic Roster
From chicagoblackhawks.com: (link)
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has been named to the United States’ 23-man roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, USA Hockey announced this afternoon at Fenway Park. He will be making his Olympic debut for the U.S., which opens the tournament against Switzerland on Feb. 16.
Kane, 21, has represented the United States extensively in international play, including winning a gold medal at the 2006 World Under-18 Championships where he finished as the tournament’s leading scorer. He also skated for the U.S. at the 2007 World Junior Championships, and tied for the team scoring lead at the 2008 IIHF World Championships despite being the youngest player on the American roster. Kane is a product of the United States National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan (2005-07).
The Buffalo, New York native currently paces all Americans in the National Hockey League with a team-leading 45 points (17G,28A) in 40 games this season. Kane is the NHL’s reigning Second Star, for the week ending Dec. 27, and has recorded seven goals in his last six games.
In 202 career regular-season games Kane has registered 63 goals and 124 assists. He was the youngest player in the National Hockey League to reach the 25-goal plateau during the 2008-09 campaign
Kane is the sixth Chicago Blackhawks player chosen to represent his country at the 2010 Winter Olympics, joining Marian Hossa (Slovakia), Duncan Keith (Canada), Tomas Kopecky (Slovakia), Brent Seabrook (Canada), and Jonathan Toews (Canada).
The National Hockey League will suspend its regular-season schedule from Feb. 15 through Feb. 28 for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Olympic hockey tournament begins on Feb. 16, 2010 when the United States takes on Switzerland.