Aug. 09--With a police investigation underway, Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is spending the day with the Stanley Cup in his hometown, the team confirmed Saturday morning.
Kane -- who has taken the Cup to children's hospitals and his favorite pizza place in past years -- will not be making any scheduled public appearances with the trophy. The 26-year-old winger plans to spend the day with his family, team spokesman Brandon Faber said.
Kane, who won his third NHL championship in June, had planned to host a private party at SkyBar in downtown Buffalo, N.Y., according to a club manager. The bar's website still says it would be closed for part of Saturday evening for a private event.
Though long scheduled, the Blackhawks had been tight-lipped about the Cup's Buffalo visit since police launched an investigation into Kane last weekend. Faber said as recently as Friday that he wasn't sure if Kane still planned to take his turn with the trophy.
The Cup, however, was already in western New York as Blackhawks senior adviser Scotty Bowman hosted the trophy in his East Amherst home Friday. Per NHL tradition, each member of the championship team is allowed to spend a day with the Cup.
The Buffalo News reported that Kane previously had two public events planned but canceled both after the investigation was announced. And contrary to media reports that Kane specifically had requested his turn with the Cup on Aug. 8 --or 8-8 -- in homage to his No. 88 jersey, a Blackhawks spokesman said the date was coincidental.
As Kane spends the day with trophy, police have suggested that the investigation won't be over any time soon.
Hamburg police Chief Gregory Wickett confirmed the investigation for the first time Friday and said the inquiry stemmed from an incident at Kane's gated lakeside mansion in suburban Buffalo last weekend. He did not offer any more details in his brief public statement and declined to answer media questions.
But Wickett did tell one reporter that the journalist was "wasting" time by staying in the Buffalo area this weekend, suggesting that the high-profile case will not be resolved any time soon.
"At this time, we are gathering information and awaiting forensic testing results," Wickett said.
The Blackhawks and the National Hockey League have previously acknowledged the investigation involving Kane. The Buffalo News, which first reported the story, said the investigation began after a complaint was filed by a local woman.
Kane spent the night Aug. 1 at SkyBar, a popular Buffalo club about 15 miles from his suburban home, and stayed past midnight with friends, a manager at the bar said. The evening was documented on social media.
Neighbors told the Tribune that three unmarked police cars descended upon Kane's Hamburg home Sunday, and several plainclothes officers entered his house using flashlights. At least one officer wore gloves and could be seen taking pictures in the front, said one witness, who asked not to be named.
Wickett did not provide any details about the ongoing forensic testing, which is being handled by the Erie County crime lab. Local defense attorneys said it could take weeks before the results are available, and then possibly even longer for final determination in the case to be made.
"It can take awhile," Buffalo-based criminal defense attorney Peter Pullano said. "On a case like this, they are going to be extremely cautious. They're not going to rush it."
In the meantime, Erie County prosecutors are working with Hamburg police to determine whether there is enough evidence to move forward.
"The case is clearly in the investigatory stage," said Buffalo attorney Terrence Connors, who is familiar with people overseeing the investigation. "It has been assigned to a senior prosecutor in the office of the district attorney. ... She will be working with the local authorities to determine if there is sufficient evidence to either file a charge in local criminal court or to proceed to a grand jury presentation. Those are her options."
Neither Kane nor his agent could be reached for comment.
Chicago Tribune's Stacy St. Clair reported from Chicago. The Tribune's Chris Hine contributed.
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