All Patrick Kane wants to do is play hockey.
For the second straight year, however, his regular season came to a premature end - this time as a result of a broken clavicle that's expected to keep him out of the Chicago Blackhawks' lineup until mid-May, or around the time the conference finals are scheduled to start.
But while he's yearning to hit the ice, he knows he needs to wait it out until he's 100 percent.
"Yeah, I wish I could play," Kane told reporters Sunday. "That’d be awesome. But it’s one of those things, you've got to be patient with it. You've got to listen to the doctors and make sure you’re not putting yourself in a position to re-injure it and make it even worse down the line.
"Do whatever you can to get it as healthy as possible and make sure the bone’s healed before I completely come back."
This latest injury, suffered on Feb. 24 after Kane fell awkwardly into the boards following an hit by Florida's Alex Petrovic, has forced him to set a new goal for next season.
"Last year, I missed the last 12 games of the season due to my knee injury, and then I was coming back for playoffs. And then this year, missing the last (21) games of the season. It’s something you don’t want to get into the habit of. Next year, coming back, my main goal will be to play a full 82."
For now, Kane will sit back and hope that his team - boosted by the additions of Antoine Vermette and Kimmo Timonen - can go deep into the playoffs so he can contribute to another winning effort.
