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Could this season be the first time Patrick Kane hits the 100-point mark?

Patrick Kane

Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane laughs during the team’s NHL practice in Calgary on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. The Flames trail the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in their best-of-seven NHL playoff series. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Every sport seemingly has its benchmarks for the kind of season that marks a “true” star, even though those numbers can change thanks to eras (thanks to factors such as expansion, improved fitness, etc.). Some random numbers that jump out for sports athletes: a great homerun hitter will aim for 50 in a season, people will assume a basketball player is a stud if he averages 20 points per game and back in the early 90s, a 1,000-yard season was a signal that a running back or wide receiver meant business in the NFL.

For scoring sensations in hockey, the increasingly fleeting milestone involves hitting the 100-point threshold. Henrik Sedin, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom were the only players to hit that mark last season.

He was a star on the Olympic stage, scored the Stanley Cup winning goal and appeared on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL ’11, so now Patrick Kane sets his sights on that objective ... though he won’t make any Mark Messier-style guarantees about it. Here’s what he told the Daily Herald about hitting the triple digit mark in points.

Kane’s not going to predict a 100-point season, but it’s obviously on his radar. The Hawks haven’t had a 100-point scorer since Jeremy Roenick in 1993-94.

“I’m not going to be the one to say it, but I think that’s kind of my job for the team - to produce points, create plays and create offense,” Kane said. “That’s definitely a number you want to hit, but you want to improve your all-around game - be on the ice in all situations and hopefully prove myself more.”

It’s true that I’ve been impressed with the way the Chicago Blackhawks handled their salary cap mess. After all, people gloss over the fact that the team is still loaded with Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and a deep defense.

That being said, the scoring burden will truly be on those four offensive players next season, so you have to hope that Kane continues making the jump from very good young player to a flat-out star (he blossomed from a 70 point scorer his first two seasons to 88 points in 09-10). It will require 12 more points and probably another 82-game season for the dazzling right wing, but it would be foolish to downplay his chances at ... just about anything at this point.