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Brian Hansen Meets Patrick Kane at Olympics, Mission Accomplished

By Justin Breen | February 20, 2014 11:25am | Updated on February 20, 2014 11:38am
 Olympian Brian Hansen has gotten photographs with all 10 Chicago Blackhawks playing in the men's hockey competition.
Brian Hansen Blackhawks
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CHICAGO — Mission accomplished for Brian Hansen.

The Team USA speed skater was on a quest to find and photograph the 10 Chicago Blackhawks representing their respective countries at the Sochi Olympic Games. On Thursday, Hansen found the last Blackhawk on the list, American star Patrick Kane, and the two posed for a quick photo.

"BOOM! @88PKane! Met all 10 @NHLBlackhawks here at the Olympics! Do they give out medals for this? #Sochi2014" Hansen wrote on his Twitter account.

"I'm pumped to have so many people back home following along with this," Hansen emailed DNAinfo Chicago on Thursday. "It definitely made Sochi a lot more fun for me. Go Blackhawks and Go Team USA!"

Hansen, who won a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games, wanted to tweet photos of himself with the 10 Hawks in Sochi — Canada's Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith; Sweden's Marcus Kruger, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya; Slovakia's Marian Hossa and Michal Handzus; the Czech Republic's Michal Rozsival; and Kane.

Hansen, 23, grew up playing hockey and was a big Hawks fan, sporting a Tony Amonte poster on his wall. A few days after making his second Olympics team, Hansen told himself "that it would be cool to meet these guys."

"It would be fun since they would all be playing for their own countries, which is kind of a special environment to meet them in," said Hansen, who's competed in the 500 meters, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters already and will participate in the Team Pursuit on Friday.

Hansen said all the Blackhawks have been "extremely friendly." He said a highlight was Rozsival also wanted to take a picture with him because it was his first Olympics. When he spoke with Hjalmarsson and Oduya, Hansen said they were pumped that so many Chicago-area youngsters are now playing hockey, in part due to the Hawks' success.