It's a fact that surprises people. Some fans see a player like Kane - someone who has found so much success in a perceived masculine context like hockey - and assume he grew up in similar conditions. The fact he grew up in a household where he was the only boy catches some people off guard and he doesn't see why.
"People sometimes ask if I wish I had a brother," said Kane on the
latest episode of the Blackhawks Insider Podcast
. "I don't, I'm happy with the way our family is."
Whether playing games or fighting over the TV remote, the Kane siblings spent a lot of time together growing up.
"There were times where I might have had to play dolls or house with them in order for them to play like hockey or some other sports with me," said Kane. "My youngest sister is sort of like me: she's very competitive [and] athletic. We had some fun in the backyard just growing up and playing basketball against each other and different things like that."
Kane primarily played hockey - his sisters did dance: hip-hop and ballet to be specific.
"I would go and watch their recitals and stuff," said Kane. "They were pretty good. [Watching them] never really taught me much, so it explains how I came up with the Kaner shuffle. That's my best moves."
Kane left home at age 14 to play youth hockey in Michigan. Less than five years later, the first-overall pick for the Blackhawks made his debut enroute to winning that year's Calder Trophy. Kane skated circles around players, closer in appearance and demeanor to the teenager who left Buffalo than the man he is now sixteen years later.
"I was coming [into the league] at 18," recalls Kane. "I remember our first [team] dinner. I'm showing up in an Abercrombie t-shirt and shorts. All these other guys have like nice jeans on with a nice, collared shirt. They gave it to me pretty good."
A lot happened in the sixteen years between then and now. Arguably the most significant change occurred in 2020 a week before his 32nd birthday - when Kane and his partner Amanda Grahovec celebrated the birth of their son Patrick Timothy Kane III. Two years old and full of energy, the youngest Patrick Kane can be seen with his mom during games.
"Now he's able to come to warmups in the games and just be there," Kane said. "It's fun looking through the glass and seeing his little head there."
The veteran forward can be spotted sometimes during home games looking into the crowd for his family, occasionally waving to PKIII.
"The other day, we had a one o'clock game," said Kane. "We scored and tied up the game, so it's fun to just look in and see him like celebrating or clapping up in the crowd.
The importance of family increases as the Kane family's numbers continue to grow. With one of his sisters due early next year, Kane is wrapping his head around being an uncle.
"Life comes at you fast," reflected Kane. "Seems like yesterday we were just laying on the couch, fighting over the remote. Getting ready for school, [and] showing up late."
