Patrick Kane plans to do everything in his power to make the 2026 U.S. Olympic roster knowing it's likely his last chance to represent his country at the highest level.
The 36-year-old was invited to the United States' orientation camp taking place Tuesday and Wednesday. Kane wants a gold medal to add to a trophy case that already includes three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, a Hart Trophy, and an Art Ross.
"The one thing that's kind of missing is a gold in best-on-best, right?" Kane said, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "It would be fun to have that opportunity."
Kane was a core piece on the U.S. Olympic teams in 2010 and 2014, as well as the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. The only hardware the Americans won in those tournaments was a silver medal in 2010.
Kane wasn't selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February but is hopeful his strong second half of the season - which included notching 45 points in his final 43 games - will help his standing for the Olympics. He wants to be chosen for strong play in 2025-26 rather than his reputation as the most decorated American player of his generation.
"I don't want that to be a thing, either, where you're getting selected for the team because of all that stuff," Kane said. "You want to be selected for the player you are and what you can bring to the team."
He added, "If you're playing well and somebody else is playing well, and they take somebody else, well, you know, so be it. I put my best foot forward and I did all I could to try to make the team. I was happy that I finished well last year and kind of got myself back into maybe the conversation again, but we'll see."
Kane signed a one-year, $3-million contract with Detroit this summer to tee up his 19th NHL campaign. He's eight goals shy of 500 for his career and 32 points from passing Mike Modano to become the highest-scoring American-born player in league history.
