Patrick Kane: 2020 champions won't deserve asterisk

Chicago Blackhawks star winger Patrick Kane doesn't believe any illegitimacy should be attached to the 2020 Stanley Cup champions.

"To win a Stanley Cup, I think that's an amazing opportunity for any hockey player," Kane said on ESPN's "Return to Sports" special Monday. "And I don't think anyone is really worried about the viewing if someone won a championship, or an asterisk, if you'd like to say."

Unable to complete the regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NHL is using an expanded 24-team format to provide bubble clubs a chance at the playoffs. The top four teams in each conference will play each other for seeding. Simultaneously, squads seeded fifth to 12th in each conference will pair off in a best-of-five play-in series to advance to the first round of the postseason. From there, traditional best-of-seven series will take place for four rounds.

"It's unprecedented times, and us as players, I think anytime you get a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup, you're doing that and taking advantage fully of it," Kane added.

Kane's Blackhawks finished 12th in the Western Conference. They would've been a long shot to make the postseason under normal circumstances, but they'll get a chance to do so against the fifth-seeded Edmonton Oilers.