Hawks’ Kane Apologizes,

The Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane and his cousin, James, pleaded guilty to a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct today, the Associated Press reports. The judge gave them conditional discharges, meaning they can avoid further penalties if they stay out of trouble for a year and apologize to the Buffalo cabdriver they were accused of beating over cab fare.

This is a far cry from the original charges of felony assault, which a grand jury dismissed, and misdemeanor charges of assault, theft of services and harassment. Essentially, Kane and his cousin got a slap on the wrist. Kane is very lucky that he did not land in jail. He says he’s ready to move forward and putthis episode behind him, and I think most Hawks fans are too.