Hawks' Kane charged in cabbie beating

BUFFALO - Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane was charged with attacking a cabdriver in his hometown yesterday, a beating that police said was triggered when the driver did not have 20 cents in change to give the player and his cousin.

Buffalo police said the 20-year-old Kane and his 21-year-old cousin, James Kane, apparently had caught a cab from the city's downtown nightclub district about 4 a.m. The cabdriver suffered cuts to his face and his glasses were damaged, police spokesman Michael DeGeorge said.

Both men were charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor counts of theft of services and criminal mischief. Patrick Kane pleaded not guilty in City Court on Sunday, WIVB-TV reported. It was not immediately clear when James Kane would appear in court.

The driver said he was punched and hit by both men because he did not have 20 cents in change to give them on a fare of $13.80, according to the police report. The Kanes had paid him $15.

A Blackhawks spokesman said the team is aware of the allegations.

"He is a big part of our organization and a team leader and we stand behind him," spokesman Brandon Faber said of Kane, the 2008 winner of the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.

On Thursday, Patrick Kane was at a Buffalo ice rink where he played hockey as a child to help Mayor Byron Brown announce funding for improvements.