Kane, van Riemsdyk excited so as to add to outdoor-game marks at Stadium Sequence – NHL.com

Detroit ahead to interrupt tie for 2nd; Columbus skater will prolong NHL document at Ohio Stadium
© Brian Babineau/NHLI by way of Getty Pictures; Andrea Cardin/NHLI by way of Getty Pictures
COLUMBUS — Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk are ceaselessly linked as the highest two picks within the 2007 NHL Draft.
Come Saturday, the 2 will even add to their League-leading totals amongst skaters to play in outside video games when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Detroit Purple Wings within the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, TVAS-D, FX-CA).
Kane, the Detroit ahead who was the No. 1 choose by the Chicago Blackhawks within the 2007 NHL Draft, will play in his seventh such sport, breaking a seven-way tie for second all-time. Van Riemsdyk, the No. 2 choose by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007 and present Columbus ahead, will prolong his document to eight outside video games.
“They’re all particular and distinctive in their very own approach,” van Riemsdyk mentioned. “They’re at all times enjoyable, as a result of I believe it brings lots of people in your assist circle that helped you numerous alongside the best way. So I do know I’ve a bunch of household and mates which are coming which have been in [my] nook all over, and that [helped me] so much alongside the best way, particularly now I am older and have youngsters.”
Van Riemsdyk has performed within the Winter Traditional thrice, the Stadium Sequence twice, and the Centennial Traditional and NHL Open air at Lake Tahoe as soon as every; 4 of these video games having include the Flyers and three with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is 3-3-1 in these video games and has three objectives and 6 factors.
“Getting an opportunity to go to some faculty soccer video games through the years, (I’ve) been to some at The Massive Home (in Michigan), been to at least one right here this 12 months,” he mentioned. “It is a particular atmosphere, environment, and that is clearly one of many premier ones with how good their program is right here. So for us to type of be capable of share with that and get a style of that is going to be fairly particular.”
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Kane has three factors in six outside video games, however only one win, going 1-5-0. He is performed within the Winter Traditional 4 occasions and the Stadium Sequence as soon as, however that is the primary time he’s gotten to expertise it along with his 4-year-old-son, Patrick.
“I keep in mind the primary time I took him on the ice and skated with him, everybody was like, ‘Watch bending over a lot and choosing him up,’” Kane mentioned. “… So I type of let (my spouse) Amanda do all of the work at the moment and simply sit again and luxuriate in simply being on the market with my mother and father and Amanda and Patrick and my sisters as properly. I believe that is the cool half about these occasions. It is an vital sport. It is a enjoyable environment. Clearly it ties in with the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, too, and you’ll take pleasure in your loved ones.
It has been 9 years since Kane scored his lone outside sport objective, within the 2016 NHL Stadium Sequence towards the Minnesota Wild at TCF Financial institution Stadium in Minneapolis when he was a member of the Blackhawks. He final performed in an out of doors sport within the 2019 Winter Traditional, additionally with the Blackhawks.
“The primary one was actually thrilling (2009 Winter Traditional), particularly for us, the Winter Traditional and the outside video games, weren’t actually tremendous in style at that cut-off date; there had solely been a few them,” Kane mentioned. “For some time there, it appeared like [the Blackhawks] had been taking part in an out of doors sport yearly. … Nevertheless it’s been, like, 5 or 6 years since I performed in a single. So it is thrilling to get again outdoors and see that feeling of similar to strolling right into a rink in the course of a soccer area and seeing the lights and the way many individuals the stadium can match. Needs to be a enjoyable day tomorrow.”
That 2007 draft passed off at Nationwide Area right here in Columbus, one other full-circle second for Kane and van Riemsdyk, who gained bronze with the US on the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden, and had been additionally teammates on the 2014 Sochi Olympics, 2016 World Cup of Hockey and 2019 World Championships.
“It is a cool second,” van Riemsdyk mentioned. “It is loopy to suppose it is nearly 20 years in the past now however it’s superb how time can fly and the totally different type of ups and downs of your profession to get so far however it’s all enjoyable, all a part of the journey.”
Kane, 36, has 1,319 factors (485 objectives, 834 assists) in 1,279 NHL video games over 18 seasons. Van Riemsdyk, 35, has 657 factors (325 objectives, 332 assists) in 1,063 NHL video games throughout 16 seasons.
“It is at all times enjoyable for me to play towards him,” van Riemsdyk mentioned. “He is a fantastic good friend. We have been via lots of cool occasions and issues in our careers collectively. So he is positively somebody I believe I’ve realized so much from over the course of my profession, and completely happy to name him my good friend. We have been doing this for some time, so I do not take that without any consideration. Each likelihood you get to do one thing cool like that, and we get to do it towards one another, it makes it much more particular.”

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