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Mar 24, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates with the puck against the Utah Hockey Club during the second period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Red Wings Veteran Hoping for One Final Olympics Appearance

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 1:00 PM ET

For Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, the 2026 Winters Olympics are likely his last opportunity. The veteran winger has never captured a gold medal at the Olympics, and it’s the one major victory that’s eluded him during his Hall of Fame NHL career. Closing in on the all-time scoring record for American-born players, Kane is also closing in on securing a roster spot for the United States at the 2026 Milano-Cortiva Games.

With 44 players recently invited to the United States Olympics Orientation Camp, the Red Wings scorer was a bit of a surprise inclusion. He was left off Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster and the group that captured gold at the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. But the 36-year-old is one of the players on the bubble for the Olympics. It’s an opportunity that Kane takes seriously, and it’s his goal to finally win gold for his country on the international stage.

“Yeah, that’s all it is, is gold, and trying to get over the hump of Canada,” he said at orientation camp.. “They’ve won the last two Olympics in best-on-best and the last two World Cups in best-on-best. Yeah, that’s what it’s all about, to win the gold.”

Kane has some experience at the Olympics, which could help his pursuit of the United States roster. He won silver at the 2010 Games and the 2014 Games, when USA lost the bronze medal contest to Finland.

In addition to that experience, he’s coming off a strong season, all things considered. He scored 21 goals and added 38 assists for 59 points in 72 games. He’s closing in on 500 career goals and 1,350 career points.

If the United States is looking to add a veteran presence to their roster, Kane might be a great choice. But he doesn’t want to be selected just because of his career and name-recognition, he wants to be chosen because he earns it.

”I don’t want that to be a thing, either, where you’re getting selected for the team because of all that stuff,” he said. “You want to be selected for the player you are and what you can bring to the team.“

That will certainly be a challenge given the overwhelming amount of talent the United States has at their disposal. One of his teammates in Detroit, Dylan Larkin, is set to make the roster, but he’s the only lock from Detroit. The United States also named Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk as part of their first six roster spots. That leaves only nine spots available for forwards like Kane to claim. The problem is the competition is drastically different and improved from when he was last a member of the United States Olympic team.

But Kane is giving it his all, and is hoping a strong start to the regular season in Detroit can earn him one last opportunity to win gold for the United States.

“The one thing that’s kind of missing is a gold in best-on-best, right,” he said. “It would be fun to have that opportunity.”

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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