This undated photo provided by the Buffalo, N.Y. police via WIVB-TV shows Chicago Blackhawks hockey player Patrick Kane. Kane is scheduled for a court hearing Aug. 17 to answer charges he and his cousin beat up a cab driver in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009.
An argument over 20 cents’ worth of cab fare has $875,000-a-year Blackhawks star winger Patrick Kane facing a felony robbery charge. Kane — who’s scheduled to start U.S. Olympics orientation camp next week — gave the team a black eye and even caught his mother off guard Sunday when he and his cousin were charged with assaulting a cabdriver in his native Buffalo, N.Y.
Kane , 20, and his cousin James Kane , 21, are accused of grabbing back the $15 they gave the driver when he said he was 20 cents short of giving them change for their $13.80 fare. It was “after 4 a.m.” and they had caught a cab from Buffalo’s Chippewa Street Nightlife district, according to the police report.
The cabdriver said he was punched in the face, grabbed by the throat and his glasses were broken in the argument with the Kanes, said Buffalo Police spokesman Michael DeGeorge.
“One guy pays and the other guy grabs me by the throat. Patrick Kane . Turns out to be a hockey player. I didn’t know who they were,” the 62-year-old cabdriver, identified only as “J.R.,” told WIVB television in Buffalo. The cabdriver had initially locked the doors and refused to let the men out until they paid, owing to bad experiences with “college kids,” he said.
A torn $5 bill was reportedly found in James Kane ‘s pocket while in the Erie County Holding Center. The Kanes were released on their own recognizance after pleading not guilty to charges of theft of services and criminal mischief and a felony charge of robbery in the second degree, said Mary Murray, spokeswoman for the Erie County sheriffs office. They had spent about 2 1/2 hours in a holding center.
The charges caught Kane ‘s mother off-guard. “I was in Chicago and I’m just on my way home now,” Patrick ‘s mother, Donna Kane , said when reached Sunday. “So I really don’t have anything to report at this time because I don’t have the whole details yet. I want to know what’s going on before I say anything.”
As the NHL’s No. 1 draft pick in 2007 and eventual Rookie of the Year, Kane quickly became the face of the Blackhawks and the hope of championship dreams. His face graces the box of the NHL 10 videogame. He earns $875,000 a year plus bonuses.
Kane was an All-Star starter in his second year last season and helped lead Chicago into the playoffs for the first time in seven years and the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 14 years.
Blackhawks spokesman Brandon Faber said: “We are aware of the allegations toward Patrick Kane . He is a big part of our organization and a team leader and we stand behind him. As we are still collecting all the facts, it would be premature to comment any further at this time.”
Kane is scheduled to report to the Seven Bridges Ice Arena in west suburban Woodridge Aug. 17 to attend an Olympic orientation camp for 34 prospects for the team that will represent the U.S. in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The team will be announced in December.
“While we look forward to Patrick coming to the orientation camp as planned, we must let the legal process take its course and see where it winds up,” camp communications chief Dave Fischer said.
On Wednesday, Kane was at an event announcing a rehab of the ice rink where he practiced as a kid. He said he was happy to be home in Buffalo. “The best thing about it is my friends treat me like I’m a regular kid. They don’t treat me like a celebrity or whatever they might treat me like in Chicago.”
Abdon M. Pallasch and Lacy Banks, The Chicago Sun-Times; Contributing: Len Ziehm and The Buffalo News
