Blackhawks’ Kane cleared, hopes to play in Game 1

By Chris Kuc/Chicago TribuneBlackhawks winger Patrick Kane was cleared for contact Monday, marking the first time since his return to the ice during shoulder-injury rehab that he practiced without wearing a non-contact sweater.Kane said afterward that he didn’t “really know yet” if he will play in Game 1 of the Hawks’ first-round playoff series against the Predators, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Nashville. The Blackhawks likely are awaiting medical clearance before determining Kane’s playing status.Asked whether he would play against the Predators, Kane said, “Yeah, I hope so. Where I’m at right now is just to kind of go through practice today and get as ready as possible and try to feel what it’s like to be in a game simulation. I thought it was a good day, a good practice for the team overall. Overall, I feel pretty good. I just have to take it day by day right now.”Kane, who missed the final 21 games of the regular season after suffering a broken left collarbone Feb. 24, skated on a line with Kris Versteeg and center Brad Richards at Johnny’s IceHouse West.In his first full practice without wearing a non-contact sweater, Kane raced up and down the ice during line rushes and fired wrist shots and slap shots.“You never really know with this kind of thing,” Kane said when asked about a potential return date. “It’s one of those things you feel good but you still have to be patient with it. I’m not sure exactly how long it will be but I feel pretty good right now.“I’ve done a lot to try to get myself, whether it’s healed as fast as possible or feeling good as fast as possible, whatever you want to call it. I’ve done a lot of different things to try and make that happen. I’m pretty happy with the progress so far.”Coach Joel Quenneville was encouraged with Kane’s progress.“We’ll see how he does again (Tuesday),” Quenneville said. “I thought he had real good progress (Monday), he got cleared for contact and handled everything pretty well. I thought that line looked good as well. We’ll see how he is.”When asked if Kane could play in Game 1 against the Predators, Quenneville said: “Yeah, he could.”