Evander Kane is attracting a lot of attention for his play during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His ten playoff goals were the most scored by any player. He scored a hat trick in Game 3 of the series against the Oilers, helping Edmonton to a 4-1 victory and a 2-1 series victory over Calgary.
However, Kane’s public relations track record hasn’t always been stellar. Because of a laundry list of issues that Kane has had throughout his career, the Sharks decided to release him in January, which is why he is currently playing for the Oilers on a one-year deal worth $2.1 million.
Kane received a league suspension in October 2021 for violating the NHL’s COVID-19 procedure, which proved to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Following the completion of his suspension, the Sharks placed him on waivers and returned him to the AHL.
After five games with the San Jose Barracuda, it was announced that he had been placed on the unconditional waiver in an attempt to get out of his contract with the team. Kane’s time in the NHL has been marred by several issues, including multiple NHL investigations, gambling debts, a contentious divorce from his ex-wife, and more.
This Section Examines All of the Debates Surrounding Kane
Buffalo Assault Trial in 2016
Kane’s legal issues off the ice date back to 2016, when he was playing for the Sabres in Buffalo. Rachel Kuechle filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that he assaulted her. In his formal accusation, he claimed that Kane “battered” him in a hotel room while they were together.
He assaulted and battered Kuechle while they were both inside the hotel room. Kuechle suffered severe physical injuries as a result of the beating, including lacerations, profuse bleeding, the need for numerous surgeries, blood transfusions, and severe emotional anguish; all of these things harmed him.
Kane was not arrested or charged with any crime as a result of the police investigation. Kane and Kuechle reached a mutually beneficial agreement in April of last year, but Kane’s attorney did not elaborate.
Bankruptcy Filing
Kane filed his Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the San Jose court system in January 2021. The total amount of debt was $26.8 million, with assets totaling $10.2 million and gaming debt totaling $1.5 million. That happened only three years after he signed a seven-year, $49 million contract extension with the Sharks in 2018.
Kane had earned a total of $52.9 million in team wages during his 11-year NHL career, according to CapFriendly at the time of the filing.
Debts From Gambling
As previously stated, Kane’s bankruptcy filing was influenced by $1.5 million in gaming debts. It all started in November of 2019 when The Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas served him with a lawsuit. The casino claimed he owed them $500,000 for a game, which he allegedly waived. The casino dropped all charges against them after a year.
Kane’s ex-wife, Anna, posted on Instagram in July 2021 that her ex-husband bet on Sharks games and purposefully lost them. Anna also claimed that Kane deliberately threw games. At this point, it was stated that Kane enjoyed playing, prompting the NHL to investigate the charges.
During an interview with Linda Cohn for an episode of ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” Kane admitted to having a gambling problem, but he denied betting on his games. Cohn was interviewed for an “Outside the Lines” episode.
On September 22, 2021, the league announced that there was no evidence that Kane bet on games or attempted to influence how NHL competitions were played on the ice in any way.
Allegations of Domestic Violence
While their divorce proceedings were still ongoing, Anna Kane sought a restraining order against her soon-to-be ex-husband. The order included allegations of sexual assault as well as numerous allegations of domestic violence.
Kane was granted a temporary restraining order against Anna in August 2021, based on his allegations that he had been the victim of domestic violence four times between 2019 and 2021.
The National Hockey League (NHL) investigated Kane’s allegations of domestic violence and declared on October 18, 2021, that the charges “could not be proven.”
On the same day that it stated the allegations of domestic violence, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced that Kane would be suspended for violating the league’s COVID-19 guidelines. Kane was previously accused of using a forged vaccination card.
Kane issued an apology in a statement, saying, “I would like to apologize to my teammates, the San Jose Sharks organization, and all Sharks fans for violating NHL COVID guidelines.” “I made a mistake, one that I deeply regret and accept full responsibility for.” During my suspension, I will continue to attend counseling sessions to learn how to make better decisions in the future. When my suspension expires, I intend to make a strong return to the rink, full of effort, desire, and genuine enthusiasm for the game of hockey. The league launched yet another investigation into Kane in January, this time focusing on Kane’s entry into the United States from Canada.
On January 27, the league announced that a Patterson Belknap Webb & Typer LLP investigation had found insufficient evidence to “conclusively conclude that Mr. Kane knowingly misrepresented his COVID-19 status or test results during his international journey.”