Blackhawks Kane charged with attacking cabbie

[KoryMac5]

Wow I would hope a millionaire athlete wouldn't beat someone up in his hometown for not having proper change. Sounds like more to the story.

AP - Aug 9, 3:45 pm EDT NHL Gallery Buffalo police said the 20-year-old Kane and his 21-year-old cousin, James Kane, had apparently caught a cab from the city’s downtown nightclub district at about 4 a.m. The cab driver suffered cuts to his face and his glasses were damaged, police spokesman Michael DeGeorge said.

Both men were charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor counts of theft of services and criminal mischief. Patrick Kane pleaded not guilty in City Court on Sunday, WIVB-TV reported. It was not immediately clear when James Kane will appear in court.

The driver said he was punched and hit by both men because he did not have 20 cents in change to give them, according to the police report.

A message left at the home of Patrick Kane’s parents was not immediately returned Sunday afternoon. Relatives who answered his grandfather’s phone and his mother’s cell phone declined to comment and could not say whether either Kane had an attorney.

A Blackhawks spokesman said the team is aware of the allegations against Kane.

“He is a big part of our organization and a team leader and we stand behind him,” spokesman Brandon Faber said. “As we are still collecting all the facts, it would be premature to comment further at this time.”

On Thursday, Patrick Kane was at a Buffalo ice rink where he played hockey as a child to help Mayor Byron Brown announce funding for improvements.

He said at the time he was happy to have time “to hang out back home in Buffalo.”

“The best thing about it is my friends treat me like I’m a regular kid,” said Kane, the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft. “They don’t treat me like a celebrity or whatever they might treat me like in Chicago.”

Kane played his first two NHL seasons with the Blackhawks and had 46 goals and 96 assists. He won the Calder Trophy, given to the league’s best rookie, in 2008.

Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

[reds1869]

I hope these allegations are false. He really is one of the brightest young stars in the sport.

[Hoosier Red]

As my friend said, "This charge is implausible, Kane's never hit anyone."

[BearcatShane]

Even if it is true, you can't really fault kane too much. Should he be punished? Absolutely. But not too severely.

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by BearcatShane

Even if it is true, you can't really fault kane too much. Should he be punished? Absolutely. But not too severely.

Why can't we fault Kane?

[BearcatShane]

Originally Posted by Austin Kearns

Why can't we fault Kane?

From my understanding Kane and the person he was with needed 20 cents in change and when the cab driver didn't have the change they proceeded to assault the driver.

[Eric_the_Red]

Originally Posted by BearcatShane

From my understanding Kane and the person he was with needed 20 cents in change and when the cab driver didn't have the change they proceeded to assault the driver.

And that seems like a reasonable response to you?

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by BearcatShane

From my understanding Kane and the person he was with needed 20 cents in change and when the cab driver didn't have the change they proceeded to assault the driver.

Well I dunno... Kane is making roughly 3.7M more than me per season, yet if my cabbie is 20 cents short, I tell him, no problem. What am I going to do with a pair of dimes anyways? That doesn't even get me a gumball.

Kane on the other hand sees that as an invitation to break the dude's glasses?

Now, I'm hoping there's more to this story, and some added fabrocation, but if true, not only is Kane immature, he's also a complete and utter prick.

And BTW, that's coming from a Blackhawk fan, as the proud owner of a Patrick Kane Winter Classic Jersey.

[BearcatShane]

Originally Posted by Austin Kearns

Well I dunno... Kane is making roughly 3.7M more than me per season, yet if my cabbie is 20 cents short, I tell him, no problem. What am I going to do with a pair of dimes anyways? That doesn't even get me a gumball.

Kane on the other hand sees that as an invitation to break the dude's glasses?

Now, I'm hoping there's more to this story, and some added fabrocation, but if true, not only is Kane immature, he's also a complete and utter prick.

And BTW, that's coming from a Blackhawk fan, as the proud owner of a Patrick Kane Winter Classic Jersey.

I don't know. Sometime people expect athletes to be perfect but I always try to think what would I do in the situation that the athlete was in. In this case if I asked a cab driver for 20 cents and he didn't have it or told me no I don't see myself acting much different than Kane. And this not only goes for cab drivers but for grocery store clerks, convienient store clerks, ect...

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Austin Kearns

Well I dunno... Kane is making roughly 3.7M more than me per season, yet if my cabbie is 20 cents short, I tell him, no problem. What am I going to do with a pair of dimes anyways? That doesn't even get me a gumball.

Big tipper, evidently.

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by BearcatShane

I don't know. Sometime people expect athletes to be perfect but I always try to think what would I do in the situation that the athlete was in. In this case if I asked a cab driver for 20 cents and he didn't have it or told me no I don't see myself acting much different than Kane. And this not only goes for cab drivers but for grocery store clerks, convienient store clerks, ect...

I personally think that life's too short to argue those things. If I make a big deal every time some small thing doesn't go my way (not just money), then I must certainly be pissed off a lot.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Originally Posted by BearcatShane

I don't know. Sometime people expect athletes to be perfect but I always try to think what would I do in the situation that the athlete was in. In this case if I asked a cab driver for 20 cents and he didn't have it or told me no I don't see myself acting much different than Kane. And this not only goes for cab drivers but for grocery store clerks, convienient store clerks, ect...

Wow. You think it is okay to punch and hit someone b/c they do not have $0.20 in change? You would do the same? Wow.

I don't expect athletes to be perfect, but I sure as hell don't expect them to punch/hit someone over a mere $0.20 in change. Nor do I expect any decent human being to do this. You inflict bodily harm over $0.20 and you need serious anger management counseling and/or time in jail to better understand how a human being should behave.

Is $0.20 in change worth jail and/or a $500 or so fine? You should ask yourself this before you decide to punch someone over that $0.20 in change.

[Eric_the_Red]

Wow...RZ never fails to surprise.

Or depress, depending on how you view it.

[KoryMac5]

Cabbies lawyer speaks about the incident:

Andrew LoTempio, an attorney for the cab driver, told WGN radio in Chicago on Monday that he thinks Sunday’s incident was blown out of proportion.

“There was a dispute over the fee and it just kind of escalated from there,” LoTempio told the station. “It was not really a robbery. That is probably a large distortion of what happened.”

Asked if the case would end up as a felony, he said: “Absolutely not.”

“I think we should be able to work things out,” he added.

Kane is scheduled for a court hearing next Monday in a Buffalo courtroom. He has pleaded not guilty to felony robbery and misdemeanor counts of theft and criminal mischief. His cousin, James Kane, faces the same charges

Sounds to me like Kane may have to part with more than 20 cents to make this case go away.

[WMR]

Bearcatshane would kick a guy's ass for not having 20 cents in change? Seriously?

Do you still go after the guy for your twenty cents if he's 6'5" 275 with a big scar running down his face?