With the uncertainty as to when the NHL lockout will end, Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane has decided to take his talents overseas to Switzerland. Can you blame the guy for just wanting to play hockey? His agent announced Tuesday, Kaner will play for the Swiss National League A team EHC Biel until the NHL lockout is over.

Thankfully Kane held off his European departure until after the “Champs for Charity” game is played on Friday at the AllState Arena. The event is shaping up to be a memorable night to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago. Kaner is joining many of the 2010 Stanley Cup Blackhawks and other NHL players. The list includes: Adam Burish, Andrew Ladd, Troy Brouwer, Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell and other former Hawks like James Wisniewski, Jim Vandermeer, Jake Dowell and Craig Anderson will also participate.

The comptetion consists of Bobby Ryan (Anaheim Ducks), Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild), Ville Leino (Buffalo Sabres), Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals), Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia Flyers) and Joe Corvo (Carolina Hurricanes) just to name a few. We’ll see the final roster in the days to come.

I wish this wasn’t the only opportunity to watch our NHL players skate in 2012, but at least it’s for a good cause!

Other Hawks who will venture overseas include:

• Bryan Bickell – HC Znojmo (Czech Republic)
• Viktor Stalberg – Frolunda (Sweden)
• Michael Frolik – Plzen (Czech Republic)