Patrick Kane is hearing it every time he touches the puck in Buffalo tonight, as Sabres fans boo the Chicago Blackhawks forward for picking Chicago.
Ben Pope, Matthew Fairburn and Mario Tirabassi all reported the steady boos from the Buffalo crowd.
Kane confirmed Saturday morning that he was down to Chicago and Buffalo this summer, per Mark Lazerus.
"This one was a lot more realistic than any of the other ones, right?" Kane said of the Sabres pursuit, per Fairburn.
He also told Mike Harrington he was never closer to joining the Sabres than he was this summer.
Buffalo has every right to boo. Getting that close to landing the hometown kid, then watching him pick Chicago again, stings in a way only a fan base can feel.
It's the high school sweetheart who comes home for the reunion, flirts all night and leaves with someone else.
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Jarmo Kekalainen's first call in free agency went to Kane
According to Harrington, the first call Kane got entering free agency came from Jarmo Kekalainen.
Kekalainen, hired as Buffalo's GM last December, made the first move and still came up short.
Did Buffalo come close? His own words say yes, which is exactly why the boos are this loud.
Kane is 37 and carries an $8,000,000 cap hit, the biggest on Chicago's roster.
He has one goal and a -2 rating through two games.
The Blackhawks came in 0-2-0 with just two goals all season, and Bowen Byram is missing tonight to attend to a family matter.
Lindy Ruff's Sabres came in 0-1-0 after a 6-3 loss in Columbus, where Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished at .773.
The Sabres also put Conor Sheary on waivers this week, one more sign of a roster still being sorted out this early in the season.
The Blackhawks host St. Louis on Tuesday in their home opener, and Buffalo comes to Chicago on November 12.
Kane will get a much warmer reception in that building. Tonight, every touch is a reminder of the deal that almost happened.
Are Sabres fans right to boo Patrick Kane for choosing the Blackhawks?
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