"Citizen (Criminal) Kane"

This has to be one of the most ridiculous stories to come out of the sports world in quite awhile. The budding young star forward of the Chicago Blackhawks, Patrick Kane is charged with felony robbery, theft of services and criminal mischief. These charges are stemming from an incident this weekend in which Kane and his cousin allegedly beat up their cabbie and stole the $15 fare they gave him after he didn't have their 20 cents in change. Now its been reported that even the cab driver (through his attorney) is saying the charges have been overblown, and that they should be able to come to an agreement. Legally the cabbie might be right, a felony robbery charge on $15 dollars does seem a bit excessive. Especially since the 'felony' aspect would appear to be the assault against the cab driver that is not even charged (I'm guessing that's the 'criminal mischief' charge, but that makes it sound like Kane was tp'ing someone's house or knocking over mailboxes, not hitting some guy in the face). Even so, the reality is the cabbie is probably trying to walk back the charges because he sees his 'retirement check' coming with Patrick Kane's name on it.

Whatever ends up happening here; out of court settlement, plea bargain, or being exonerated, Patrick Kane will have lost this case. He can't win in the court of public opinion on this one. He attacked a cabbie over 20 cents, are you kidding me?? It is absurd for any person to beat up a cabbie over 20 cents, and it is completely unbelievable for a highly paid (and highly recognizable) sports star to do it. What was he thinking, I don't care if the cab driver was trying to steal $20 or even $200 from him, Kane needed to walk away. He makes six figures and is one of the most marketable players in the NHL, I don't think those two dimes are going to make a big difference to him in the long run (and they definitely won't cover his legal fees, or the check he's about to write). Now we will have to wait and see how many minutes (and how much money) in the penalty box this fight will cost him.

Western Conference Semifinals Preview: Blackhawks vs. Canucks

Chicago Blackhawks:
Season record: 46-24-12, 2nd in the Central
Season series: tied 2-2
First round: Won 4-2 over the Calgary Flames
Top scorers: Martin Havlat 29-G: 48-A: 77-P, Patrick Kane 25-G: 45-A: 70-P
Goalie: Nikolai Khabibulin Record: 25-8-7, GAA: 2.33, Sav%: .919

Vancouver Canucks:
Season record: 45-27-10, 1st in the North West
Season series: tied 2-2
First round: Won 4-0 over the St. Louis Blues
Top scorers: Daniel Sedin 31-G: 51-A: 82-P, Henrik Sedin 22-G: 60-A: 82-P
Goalie: Roberto Luongo Record: 33-13-7, GAA: 2.34, Sav%: .920

Outlook: Even though the Canucks actually had a worse record than the Blackhawks they get home ice in the series since they won the North West division. Given the home ice advantage and the Canucks veteran depth they should be the favorite to win the series. The Sedin brothers lead an impressive of skaters. Luongo is among the best goalies in the game and should be a difference maker in this series. The Blackhawks aren't without hope in the series as they have one of the NHL's emerging young stars in Patrick Kane. Kane and Havlat can put the puck in the net with the best of them and will give the Canucks plenty of trouble. The Canucks are also at a disadvantage since they've been off for so long. Vancouver hasn't played a game in over a week and the long layoff could negatively affect them in the first couple of games. If the Blackhawks can steal the first two games or at least split them then they have a chance when they bring the series back to Chicago.

Prediction: Vancouver in 6