Patrick Kane made it. And you could see that he was relieved. The 37-year-old Detroit forward made NHL history in Thursday’s game against Washington when he scored his 1,375th career point and became the most productive hockey player born in the USA. Mike Modan’s previous record has definitely fallen.
Kane broke the record with an assist in the second period. He passed from the goal post to Alex DeBrincat, who sent the puck to Ben Chiarot at the blue line, who tied the score. In the end, Detroit was happy with at least a point, even though the Capitals won 4-3 on runs. “It’s actually nice to get it over with and focus on the rest of the season,” Kane said after the game.
After the goal, he smiled widely, hugged Chiaroto, and his teammates immediately emptied the substitution box to join him. At Little Caesars Arena, with the spotlight shining on him alone, Kane raised his stick toward the stands and was visibly teary-eyed. His likeness appeared on the die with an American flag and the number 1,375.
The record was held by Modano for more than 18 years. Kane surpassed him shortly after his 37th birthday, while Modano was already 40 when he signed up.
“I knew early on in my career that you would be the one to chase that number one day. And now it’s happened,” Modano told Kane in a video on the dice. “Go ahead and make this record as hard as possible for the next generation.”
Kane has been one of the faces of American hockey for almost two decades. As the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, he started an era in Chicago that brought the Blackhawks three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015. In the era of the salary cap, it was one of the most successful dynasties. “When you think of American hockey, Patrick Kane is one of the first names that comes to mind,” said Jack Eichel, for example. “He’s a role model for a lot of guys who came after him. Including me.”
Defenseman Charlie McAvoy spoke similarly: “I remember watching him during those long playoff runs. He did things that no one else did back then. He changed hockey.”
In early January, Kane also became the fiftieth player in NHL history to reach the 500-goal mark, and only the fifth American to do so. During his career, Kane collected practically everything: Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year, Conn Smythe Trophy for MVP of the playoffs, Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player of the regular season and Art Ross Trophy for the scoring winner.
And all this despite the fact that he was never one of the physically dominant players. With his 178 centimeters, he relied mainly on technique, hand speed and game intelligence. “It may have the best montage of events in history,” said Jack Hughes. “As a kid, I used to watch his videos and think: This is how I want to play one day.”
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:watermark(https://f.pmo.ee//logos/4132/d583334e07b643b158b745b655f05032.png,-2p,-2p,0,18,none):format(webp)/nginx/o/2026/04/29/17600850t1ha390.jpg "Kristaps Porzingis: The 2015 Story of Avoiding One Specific Goal")
