Tough Night for Chicago Sports
25 Feb, 2015
First, Blackhawks star Patrick Kane went crashing into the boards. Then the Bulls announced Derrick Rose was headed for another knee surgery.
And just like that, Chicago’s cold winter had taken another chilly turn.
The Windy City lost two of its biggest sports stars Tuesday night when Kane left the Blackhawks’ 3-2 shootout victory over Florida with an upper-body injury, and the Bulls said Rose had a medial meniscus tear in his right knee. It was a pair of crunching blows in a matter of minutes for two of the city’s most successful teams in recent years.
“You can’t replace Kaner. He’s a special talent, somebody who’s really irreplaceable,” Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg said. “It’s going to have to be by committee. Guys are going to have to step up and find ways to get the job done.”
That likely will be the same message in the coming days for the Bulls, who have plenty of experience when it comes to playing without Rose. The 2011 NBA MVP appeared in only 10 games last season before he had surgery for the same injury in November 2013, shelving him the rest of the way.
The Bulls said a timetable for his return this time will be determined after the operation.
It’s unclear when Rose re-injured his knee. He appeared to be rounding into form last month, averaging 22.6 points over his final 14 games before the All-Star break, but he had struggled since returning to the court after the time off.
Kane, tied for the NHL lead with 64 points coming into the day, lost his balance and careened into the boards after he was cross-checked by defenseman Alex Petrovic with 12:11 left in the first period. Kane stayed down on the ice for a short time and appeared to be favoring his left arm or shoulder as he skated to the bench. He went straight to the locker room.
“Looks like he might miss some time, but we’ll know the extent of it tomorrow,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’ll see.”
The 26-year-old Kane was working on one of his best seasons, prompting talk of the Hart Trophy for NHL MVP. He leads the team with 27 goals and 37 assists, and any prolonged absence for the dynamic winger will make it difficult for the star-studded Blackhawks (36-20-5) to keep up in the rugged Western Conference.
Rose, 26, is averaging 18.4 points and 5.0 assists in 46 games this season. He has flashed his MVP form at times, attacking the rim, but his outside shot has been unreliable. He is shooting just 40.7 percent, the second-lowest average of his career, and committing 3.2 turnovers per game.
AP
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