Sports

Patrick Kane becomes the highest scoring American in the NHL

He achieved the feat after scoring his 1375th career point

Sofia Hameed, Creative Content Editor

February 27, 2026

REUTERS/via SNO Sites/Rick Osentoski

Patrick Kane during a face off in a game against the Washington Capitals

In a game against the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings right winger scored his 1375th career point. With this point, Kane surpassed Mike Modano’s record for points scored for an American-born player.

Kane, who was born in Buffalo, New York in 1988 has been playing in the National Hockey League for 19 seasons, since being drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks as a first pick in the first round in 2007.

Kane was a Blackhawks legend, with him winning three Stanley Cups with them in 2010,2013, and 2015. However, in 2023, he was traded to the New York Rangers. After his contract with the Rangers ended and Kane recovered from hip surgery, Kane signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent in November of 2023.

This has served Detroit well as he has become a key part of their offense, with him scoring his 500th goal with them, making him just the 50th player in NHL history to have 500 goals.

Kane has garnered many fans in Detroit since the trade. According to NHL shop, Kane has the 9th best selling jersey in the entire league of over 700 active players.

However, despite this achievement, Kane was not selected to represent team U.S.A. in the Winter Olympics, despite being a previous representative in 2010 and 2014, with him even winning a silver medal in 2010.

This was due to a troublesome and injury-ridden start to the season, with him missing 15 games. Another reason is team U.S.A. desired a younger and more athletic roster, which would exclude the 37 year old veteran.

This sparked outrage from many fans, with many deeming that Kane was “snubbed”. However, many did acknowledge Kane’s age and prior injuries and found the decision to keep him off the Olympic team to be wise. Additionally, many Detroit Red Wings fans were pleased that he was staying in Detroit as he could risk another injury in the Olympics. The Detroit Red Wings also had another representative for the Olympics, team captain Dylan Larkin.

Despite Kane’s absence, team U.S.A. won the Olympic Gold medal in hockey on February 22nd in a thrilling 2-1 win against Team Canada. This is our first Gold medal in ice hockey since the year 1980.

Despite not winning a gold medal in Italy, Kane will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest American players to have ever played in the NHL.

Donate to The Trumpet

$500

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Parkland High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting and printing costs.

About the Contributor

Sofia Hameed, Creative Content Editor

Sofia is a junior and this is her second year writing for The Trumpet. She is the creative content editor. She likes writing about politics, interesting things in the valley, and all things gaming. In her free time, Sofia likes reading, playing guitar, and spending time with her family. She also is the vice-president of Parkland’s Scholastic Scrimmage team and also does Amnesty International, Model UN, Literary Magazine, and more! She’s also a huge fan of hard rock, jazz, and post-hardcore music.