The St. Louis Blues will be seeing a familiar face return to the Central Division next season. And it’s not a happy reunion.
The Chicago Blackhawks announced the signing of once-and-future star Patrick Kane to a two-year, $16 million deal.
For Chicago, it will be a nostalgic experience to see Kane return to the site where he won three Stanley Cups.
For the Blues, it will mark the return of the fanbase’s most hated rival.
That’s not hyperbole. It’s not an emotional remark. There’s data to back it up. A study by Rotowire revealed the most hated players in each state. Unsurprisingly, Patrick Kane came up as a public enemy #1 in Missouri.
That’s no mistake.
Kane was a part of the wildly successful Blackhawks teams that won multiple Cups in the 2010s. Kane and the Blackhawks bounced the Blues in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. And while the Blues got revenge a couple of seasons later, it did not diminish the hatred between the Blues and Kane.
After the Blackhawks finally tanked and went into their rebuild, Kane left the Central Division. But now that he’s back, it seems that the Blues and Blackhawks will have an extra reason to renew hostilities.
Could Kane’s return revive Blues-Blackhawks rivalry?
The NHL has been looking to spur rivalries wherever it can. One of the best ways of doing so is to revive some of the older ones that have sort of fallen off the radar.
That could very well be the Blues and Blackhawks. The return of Patrick Kane to Chicago could evoke long-lost feelings stemming from a decade ago.
That’s not holding grudges. It just comes with the territory. Division rivals typically harbor bad blood. But sometimes, when teams aren’t exactly the most successful, the rivalries tend to fall off a bit.
That’s why the return of the Blues’ most notable villain could spark a resumption of the feud between the Blues and Blackhawks.
The two teams will face each other four times next season. And December 4 could be the night that Blues fans give Kane an ice-cold reception at the Enterprise Center. The Blues and Blackhawks will meet on October 6 at the United Center. But that meeting will only serve as a reminder of what Kane can expect when he returns to St. Louis as a member of the Blackhawks.
If there’s one reunion the Blues would love to spoil, it’s Kane’s return to Chicago.
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