Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin was one of a handful of players selected to represent his country in the 2026 Winter Olympics, marking the first time in over a decade that the NHL will be sending their players to international Olympic competition.
Along with Larkin, Moritz Seider (Germany) and Lucas Raymond (Sweden) were also selected.
However, Patrick Kane, arguably the greatest U.S.-born player to suit up in the National Hockey League, was ultimately not selected.
Neither was his longtime teammate in both Chicago and Detroit, Alex DeBrincat, who leads the club in goals with 22.
Following Sunday’s practice at Little Caesars Arena, Kane admitted that he was feeling some disappointment over being left off the Team USA roster.
“Of course, it was disappointing,” Kane said. “I thought that when Todd came in last year, from that time to the end of the season, I gave myself a chance to be considered. This year, I thought I had a good start, but I got into some injury trouble.”
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Kane has missed a total of 15 games this season. He was sidelined for nine games after suffering an upper-body injury during a 2–1 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 17, then missed six games in December after being injured against the Blackhawks in the same game in which he scored his 498th career goal.
“You can make all the excuses in the world, but at the end of the day, I didn’t make it, and it’s disappointing for sure,” Kane continued. “Just have to move on.”
Kane has represented the United States in Olympic competition twice before, starting with the in 2010 in Vancouver, where he and his teammates won the silver medal, and again in 2014 in Sochi, which resulted in a fourth-place finish.
He’s an American hockey icon, and currently trails Mike Modano by only seven points for the most in NHL history by a U.S.-born player. In the 28 games that Kane has played so far this season, he’s tallied six goals with 18 assists, just short of a point-per-game pace.
Modano, who spent the final season of his NHL career with the Red Wings, has expressed support for Kane and also said he would like to be in attendance if possible for the occasion.
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