NHL Commissioner Addresses Patrick Kane’s Legal Issues

Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane might be spending a lot of time in court this season. That’s because he has been accused of sexually assaulting a female in his home in Hamburg, New York.

A grand jury hearing was originally scheduled to take place this week, but it was abruptly postponed the same day it was to be held. The new hearing is expected to take place in two weeks when the 23-person grand jury reconvenes to examine all the evidence in the case and determine if charges should be brought forward.

That means the NHL and Blackhawks have to deal with this PR nightmare for at least two more weeks. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman isn’t particularly thrilled about having to deal with a scandal, but he is trying his best to stay out of it and let the law run its course.

"Nobody is going to talk to us," Bettman said during an interview with the Associated Press. "When you're being investigated, you're focused on that from law enforcement, and you're not going to be dealing with third parties. It's a terrible thing. But we're going to have to watch the process play out, and at the appropriate time, we'll make whatever decisions have to be made."

While Bettman managed to remain diplomatic, the NHL Players’ Association Executive Director Don Fehr openly expressed his support for Kane.

"He hasn't been charged," Fehr said. "We hope and expect that he won't be, but we have to wait and see."

The Blackhawks are scheduled to start training camp next week. This is certainly not how the defending Stanley Cup champions planned to start their season.

Kane was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL draft, and he’s already accumulated four All-Star appearances and the 2013 playoffs MVP. Oh yeah, he also helped the Blackhawks to win three Stanley Cup titles in six years.

Obviously, lots of higher ups in the Blackhawks organization aren’t happy about the fact their 26-year-old superstar now finds himself tangled up in a rather serious scandal.