Buffalo fans clearly still have some unresolved business with Patrick Kane.
In a surprising development, Kane was showered with an obviously loud chorus of boos when he transported the puck up ice on his first shift of the game.
Kane, the Buffalo native, drew the ire of his hometown fans who would normally marinade him with gratitude and lusty cheers.
Kane left Buffalo in September for Blackhawks training camp.
Saturday night after he and his Blackhawks defeated the Sabres in a shootout on Saturday afternoon. Kane scored the game tying goal then potted the shootout winner against Chad Johnson to give his team the walk off win.
After the game Kane was asked to react to the crowd booing him inside the arena where he said he grew up cheering for the Sabres.
"I remember them booing Eric Lindros when he was on Philly,… Kane said. “He got thrown out of the game with 10 minutes left, and it wasn’t fun anymore to watch the game because no one was booing him.…
Kane said he heard the boos early on and his teammates joked with him on the bench telling him that his home town team fans were booing him . Kane blocked out all the noise and played on.
In his nine-year NHL career Kane has played against his hometown Sabres five times. He did not play against Buffalo last April in Buffalo due to his injury.
Kane was rebranded on Saturday from protagonist to antagonist.
The local fans we're not all about cheering for number 88 rather than curing number 88.
Saturday was something different. A new phenomena for Buffalo fans of Pat Kane.
They were talking junk and shouting expletives at their hometown hero, one of the greatest athletes ever to come from Western New York.
Kane was booed lustily whenever he touched the puck in his first game back in Buffalo since he was the subject of a three-month police investigation that yielded no charges against him.
Kane let all of the vitriol role off his back and stayed on the attack.
Kane and the Blackhawks stole a 3-2 shootout win under questionable circumstances.
The Sabres played a clean game through 58 minuets then were called for two penalties in the late going.
Kane scored off an Artemi Panarin pass in the final second of a two-minute, 6-on-3 power play as Corey Crawford was pulled for an extra attacker. Ryan O'Reilly could have ended the game with a shorthanded, empty net goal that would have sealed the deal and two points for Buffalo. ROR's shot somehow traveled wide when it appeared from my vantage point to be headed to the back of Crawford's net.
Talk about a punch in the gut.
Thanks, Blackhawks.com
Why do you think they call Pat Kane "Showtime"?
Ryan O'Reilly was kicking himself in the button after missing the shorthanded empty net attempt that would have given Buffalo the wim.
Embarrassing. Pathetic. His words to describe the shot that would have changed the outcome in his team's favor.
Thanks, Sabres.Com
I love I love that O'Reilly is pissed off at himself for missing that shot. He is the ultimate perfectionist. He expects so much of himself and when he doesn't achieve his goals he sets for himself, he gets very disturbed about it. Not disturbed in a bad way but in a good way. O'Reilly expect so much of himself and he visualizes in execute to the inst agree. When he's off a little bit it makes him go back to the practice rink and work even harder. I can guarantee you that if he had that shot on his stick again right now he'd make it. He will definitely relive that shot for the next 2 or 3 weeks in his "O'Reilly Practice".