Act like you’ve done it before.
That’s the advice given to hyper-happy goal scorers, and that’s exactly how Patrick “Nonchalant” Kane carries himself after he undresses fellow locked-out NHL star Cory Schneider during a shootout attempt in Swiss A League action on Sunday.
Maybe because Kane has done this before: approaches the netminder/victim head-on, slows his pace, makes about 19 stickhandles (count ’em), then roofs the puck over a goalie whose eyes aren’t nearly as quick as Kane’s blade. The Chicago Blackhawks forward pulled the same slow-mo, multi-deke shootout move (expect finishing forehand) last December against the Minnesota Wild.
“He went four or five different directions. It was a pretty spectacular ending,” goaltender Niklas Backstrom admitted at the time.
Kane has 19 points in 17 games overseas; Schneider has a .927 save percentage and 2.83 GAA in seven games in the same league.
Although Kane’s magic got the best of Schneider, HC Biel ended up losing to Schneider’s HC Ambri-Piotta 4-3.
This is as close to the ol’ Chicago-Vancouver rivalry gets right now, folks. Drink it in:
Super Kane flashback, Dec. 14, 2011:
(via ChicagoNow.com)