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High School Hockey Star Wins Scholarship Then Meets Her Hero, Patrick Kane

By Justin Breen | March 16, 2015 5:51am | Updated on March 16, 2015 6:55am
 Margot Werner, a Latin School of Chicago senior hockey player, won a Chicago Blackhawks Alumni Association 2015 Keith Magnuson Scholarship.
Margot Werner
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GOLD COAST — Margot Werner fully admits she has a massive crush on Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

So when the Latin School of Chicago senior learned she had won a Keith Magnuson Scholarship, named in honor of the late Hawks great, she requested to sit next to Kane during last week's award ceremony. The scholarship committee, much to Werner's delight, honored her wish, with her and Kane chatting side by side for more than two hours.

"I love Patrick Kane," said Werner, of Gold Coast. "Everyone has an idol, but rarely do you get to spend time with your idol. We got to talk about our personal lives. ... It was really cool."

Werner also told her Kane promised her that he would attend the March 22 Illinois girls hockey state championship game at United Center if Werner's Latin squad advanced. To do that, Werner and Latin (20-4-4) must beat New Trier on Tuesday in a state semifinal.

 Margot Werner, a Latin School of Chicago senior hockey player, won a Chicago Blackhawks Alumni Association 2015 Keith Magnuson Scholarship. Werner had 19 points this season for Latin, which plays Tuesday in a state semifinal.
Margot Werner, a Latin School of Chicago senior hockey player, won a Chicago Blackhawks Alumni Association 2015 Keith Magnuson Scholarship. Werner had 19 points this season for Latin, which plays Tuesday in a state semifinal.
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Latin School of Chicago

"He said he'd be there," Werner said.

Justin Breen says Werner is interested in the business side of sports:

Werner, a center and co-captain who's scored nine goals with 10 assists this season, has been skating since she was 3 years old. Her father, Michael Werner — the president and CEO of Globe Union — and mother, Laura, first registered Margot in a figure skating class but soon realized that's not what she wanted to do on the ice.

"We put Margot in figure skating and she looked at us like we were cross-eyed as she wanted to play hockey — not dance on the ice," Michael Werner said.

For several years, Werner was the only girl on otherwise all-boys teams. In fourth grade, she and other classmates started an all-girls club team at the Saddle and Cycle Club in Edgewater. She played with that program until beginning her high school career with Latin, which is the only Chicago-based girls team in the state. The team fields players from Latin, Lab Schools, Whitney Young, Lane Tech and Jones College Prep.

"Margot has been a huge part of the Latin team success story these past four years," Latin co-coach Courtney O'Connor said. "We couldn't be more proud of her accomplishments on and off the ice. She's a great captain."

Werner doesn't want her hockey career to end after high school. Her ultimate goal is to become the first female president of an NHL team. Her Magnuson scholarship, which pays $7,500 a year for four years, will be used at either Cornell or USC. Both schools have sports business programs and several elite contacts in the sports industry, Werner said.

"There's nothing more than I love in life than hockey," Werner said. "I think in my life and career, it's really important to do what you love. I've dedicated a lot of my childhood — my life — to all sports, but especially hockey. It's really clear that's where I want to be."

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