Patrick Kane will attend training camp, speaks at news conference
CHICAGO (WLS) -- During a Blackhawks news conference Thursday, Patrick Kane spoke for this first time since being accused of raping a woman in his Buffalo, N.Y. home.
FULL VIDEO: Patrick Kane statement, Q&A
Flanked by Blackhawks President John McDonough, General Manager Stan Bowman and Coach Joel Quenneville, Kane's first words were a prepared statement and apology.
"I am confident that once all the facts are brought to light, I will be absolved of having done nothing wrong," Kane said. "This has been an incredibly difficult time for many people. I cannot apologize enough for the distraction this has caused my family, my teammates, this incredible organization - and of course, our fans."
Kane took roughly 10 minutes of questions. He was asked specifically about his personal life several times - even about his drinking.
"I appreciate the question, but I can't answer that," he repeated many times.
Blackhawks management was reluctant to discuss anything specific about the allegations against Kane, but recognized the severity of what's unfolding.
"It's been a challenging summer, this has weight on all of us. We're doing the best we can within the framework of what we can talk about today," McDonough said.
The grand jury investigation into the allegations against Kane carries on after prosecutors postponed it last week, just before Kane's accuser and a friend were expected to testify.
Officials also announced Thursday that Kane will attend Chicago Blackhawks training camp at University of Notre Dame.
The Blackhawks will hit the ice at Compton Family Arena Friday morning for the defending champs' first official practice of the year.
Quenneville was asked if he's preparing his team for potential distractions - but he says it's business as usual for him.
"We had a normal meeting last night - we addressed how we always go into training camp. We went over our roles, we went over our scheduling, and we went over our goals for training camp and the upcoming season," he said.
