"It's been obviously a whirlwind past week here," Kane said at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. "I think now just excited to get to the rink and meet everyone and be around the team, get things going."
Kane waived the no-move clause he had in the eight-year contract he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014 to be
traded to the Rangers on Tuesday in a three-team deal with Chicago
and the Arizona Coyotes.
The 34-year-old forward visited New York's suburban practice facility Wednesday and was on the ice at the Garden for 20 minutes Thursday in his new red, blue and white practice gear and blue helmet with his No. 88 on the back, preparing to make his Rangers debut against the Ottawa Senators in a few hours (7 p.m. ET; MSG, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, SN NOW).
RELATED: [Kane trade has Rangers thinking they're 'capable' of winning Cup]
He sat at a table for his press conference wearing a Rangers hat, shirt and shorts, with the Rangers banner behind him. Kane played 16 seasons and all 1,161 of his NHL games with the Blackhawks.
"It's different, right," Kane said. "I mean, you have to get used to it. It kind of reminds me of when you go play for Team USA in World Championships or Olympics, things like that. You're putting on different equipment, different gear and you're trying to get used to it, but you always come back to that Blackhawks gear. So it's a little bit different this time around, but this is obviously an Original Six franchise, a storied franchise, an amazing building to play [in] and they have great fans, so it's exciting too."
Kane said it was not an easy decision to waive his no-move to be traded from the only NHL team he has played for, but the opportunity to join the Rangers, who are in third place in the Metropolitan Division, was too good for him to pass up.
He has 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 54 games this season and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
"It's never really real until it happens and then once it happens it starts getting very real," Kane said. "I'm just excited for the experience, the opportunity, the chance to play with a different organization, different players. Just excited about it all."
Kane did not think the Rangers would be an option for him when they acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9. He expressed his disappointment at the time, saying a day later, "It's not like the happiest I've been to hear about a trade. That was a team I was definitely looking at."
His optimism reignited when he realized the Rangers were still interested and willing to move around some money under the NHL salary cap to make it happen.
