By Aaron Bell

 

London Knights’ Patrick Kane graduate has never scored a bigger goal in his life and it’s hard to believe that he ever will.

 

Kane, who played the 2006-07 season with the Knights and became the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, scored the overtime winner in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup championship in nearly five decades on Wednesday.

 

Kane fired what looked like a harmless shot at the Philadelphia Flyers net 4:06 into the extra frame but the puck squeezed by netminder Michael Leighton, who played in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires, to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win in the game and a 4-2 win in the series. 

 

Kane was the first one to see the puck in the net and touched off a celebration that Blackhawks’ fans have been waiting for since 1961.

 

"I shot, I saw it go right through the legs," Kane said after celebrating with the Stanley Cup. "Sticking right under the pad in the net. I don’t think anyone saw it in the net. I booked it to the other end. I knew it was in. I tried to sell the celebration a bit. Everyone came down, and I think some guys were still kind of a little iffy to see if the puck was in the net. I saw the coaches there pointing at the puck and jumping around. It’s pretty surreal right now for sure."

 

Kane was one of five OHL graduates in the Blackhawks’ lineup. David Bolland (London Knights), Ben Eager (Oshawa Generals), Nick Boynton (Ottawa 67’s) and Brian Campbell (Ottawa 67’s) were also in the lineup for the Blackhawks’ win.

 

Campbell and Boynton won the Memorial Cup together with the 67’s in 1999 while Bolland was part of the Knights’ Memorial Cup winning team in 2005.

 

Former Windsor Spitfire Joel Quennville was behind the bench for the Blackhawks.

 

The Windsor native won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. He said that the Chicago fans will be ready to celebrate this win.

 

"The party is going to be unbelievable," Quennville said. "We’re going to enjoy it first. I think the party in Chicago is going to be all-world. Everybody is excited. We had a lot of fans here today and tonight. That support is much appreciated. The city is going to be very excited when we get back. We’re going to have fun with it."

 

Bryan Bickell (67’s), Jassen Cullimore (Peterborough Petes) and Shawn Lalonde (Belleville Bulls) are also on the Blackhawks’ roster but didn’t play in the Stanley Cup finals.

 

The Flyers’ lineup featured five OHL graduates, including captain Mike Richards (Kitchener Rangers), Lukas Krajicek (Peterborough Petes), Jeff Carter (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Chris Pronger (Petes) and Leighton. Daniel Carcillo (Mississauga IceDogs), Danny Syvret (Knights), Pat Maroon (Knights) and Ryan Parent (Guelph Storm) were scratches in the final game.

 

Three years ago Kane accepted the OHL and CHL rookie of the year trophies just weeks before becoming the top pick in the NHL’s annual amateur draft.

 

This year he won the silver medal at the Winter Olympics with Team USA and now is a Stanley Cup champion. He was second to teammate Jonathan Toews for the playoff scoring lead with 28 post-season points.

 

Kane thanked his family and friends in Buffalo and said that he’s looking forward to bringing the Stanley Cup there this summer.

 

"I think (I’ll) probably bring it back home," Kane said. "A lot of friends and family back there. But I think it’s something you probably think about a little more and try to have a great day with it. I’m sure it will be unbelievable having that thing for a full day."