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I n the five years that Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane have been playing hockey together in Chicago, the Blackhawks have won two NHL championships. Of course, this 31-year-old and 24-year-old, respectively, are just two of the incredibly talented players taking the ice for the Hawks—think Bickell, Hossa, Toews, and Seabrook—but there's no denying that the pair's easy chemistry has been a major factor in the team's success. Now, in an exclusive interview with Michigan Avenue as they join the rest of their Blackhawks teammates in kicking off the 2013– 2014 season, Sharp and Kane reflect on Stanley Cup glory, the joys of playing for Chicago, and their rapport both on and off the ice. How did you both get started playing hockey? Patrick Sharp: I grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, a small town in Canada. Everybody there played hockey growing up. I have an older brother who's three years older than me; I was just following in his footsteps and did whatever he did, so I got into hockey at a young age and fell in love with it early. Patrick Kane: When I was growing up my dad was big into the [Buffalo] Sabres, and he would take me to the games when I was 3, 4 years old—he carried me into the games, and I would sit on his lap and just watch everything unfold. Just following the Sabres, I fell in love with the game. I started skating when I was 6 and playing when I was 7. Is there a hockey moment from back then that sticks out in your mind—a goal you scored or a particular game you won? PS: I lived in Calgary, Alberta, when I was 8 years old, and we had season tickets to the Calgary Flames. They won the Stanley Cup in 1989, and that was a big moment for our family and the city of Calgary—that was where it got exciting for me. PK: When I was about 10 or 11, my dad had me playing on six or seven hockey teams. [I remember being] in the back of the car getting ready for my next game, having all my jerseys with me, and needing to ask my dad which jersey I was supposed to wear because I played on so many teams. When did you realize that playing hockey wasn't just something you enjoyed, but that you wanted to make your career? PK: For me that point came when I was 14 years old. I was going into high school, and my parents and I thought it would be a good time to pick up my hockey career and move to Detroit. I went to a team called Detroit HoneyBaked, and I got to live out there for the year. There was a former NHL Hall of Famer Pat Verbeek there who I learned a lot from, and it was just a moment where [our thinking was], if you're going to take hockey seriously, you might as well go all in. It was tough being away from home, but it was pretty interesting. PS: Around 14 or 15, hockey started getting a little more serious for me—there were kids I knew who were going off and playing in major junior leagues and getting scholarships to universities, and I realized that hockey could be a gateway to something pretty special. I always enjoyed playing it, but [I thought that if I could] get a college education and be fortunate enough to make a living through it afterward, then I'd be pretty lucky. Who were some of your heroes growing up? PS: My brother—I wouldn't call him a hero, but he's been my role model. I followed him in everything we did: sports, school back home, you name it. As far as hockey, my favorite player was an American, Mike Modano, who played for the Minnesota North Stars, close to my hometown. that's the way you want it; you want those short summers and to be able to enjoy the summer and what you accomplished in the past year. You learn a lot from that last time, and you know what to expect from the next year coming in. How is this Cup victory different from 2010? PS: You try to soak everything in and really enjoy the experience of winning, but it all just seems like a blur to be honest with you. I think our team was under a little more scrutiny from the year before, with getting eliminated in the first round, so it was nice to be able to go all the way and win it again. I don't want to say everyone [get] off our back, but I realize there are high expectations. We're lucky what we have in Chicago with our players, our management, our core guys who are still there— maybe we can make this an ongoing thing and keep [winning]. PK: The difference between the two Cups to me is the first time everything is new—[you're] living and dying, and with every goal and every win there's a lot of excitement knowing how close you are to finally winning it. The second time going through it's still exciting, but there's more focus on the process, knowing how much hard work you have to put in. But winning never gets old, and it has felt great both times. Why do you think this team has had such success together? PS: You have to look at the group of core players we have. How many times [are you going to] have a Kane, [ Jonathan] Toews, [Marián] Hossa, [Duncan] Keith, and [Brent] Seabrook? But also the lineup— those are players who want to win, they want to get better, they love the game of hockey, and they've had the play-off experience even though it's still a young group, and they like each other as well. Also, both times we've won, it's been a total team effort, and the depth of our team this year was definitely different. PK: The familiarity we've had with each other from coming in since we were young guys and being with each other and getting to know each other, growing up together—those things usually help what happens on the ice. You can't really look back at both wins and say one player stole the show; it was a different guy [every night]. That was exciting about going out there and playing, [the thought that] this could be the night it happens for you, or to someone who has your back and can step up and make a play, too. How did you each spend your day with the Cup? PK: I actually have mine coming up—I'm going to take it to Niagara Falls, a little restaurant in Buffalo, and then a hockey rink in Buffalo. Some buddies and I will have a little floor hockey game and play When I got to the NHL, he knew that he was my favorite player, so I was able to meet him a few times, and he gave me a signed stick and a signed jersey. It was a pretty special moment. PK: Growing up rooting for the Sabres, I was a fan of Pat LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny in the early '90s. In the late '90s, I switched to Dominik Hasek, because he was really the only player the Sabres had that was a Hall of Famer; I think at the time he was the first goalie to win back-to-back MVP awards. It was exciting to watch them; they had a run in the late 1990s that was fun to watch, but it's funny how that all changes when you're drafted to a team. What has life been like since you brought home the Stanley Cup in June? PS: It's been a busy summer. We're lucky enough to have gone through this once before in 2010, but this [time it] seems like it was a lot more events and a lot more to do with the team and with family and friends. I'm back in Chicago excited to get skating with the guys and start up another season. PK: It's been really hectic—it seems like the season finished just a couple weeks ago. But I guess PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES "It's fun to wake up every day and spend time with 25 of your best friends." —PATRICK SHARP 114 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 112-117_MA_FEAT_CoverStory_Nov13.indd 114 10/21/13 5:35 PM