Evander Kane
August 02, 1991
Evander Frank Kane (born August 2, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who is a free agent. He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kane was selected fourth overall by the Thrashers in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
August 02, 1991
Kane was born on August 2, 1991, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Perry and Sheri Kane, who named him after American boxer Evander Holyfield (he later met Holyfield at age 18).
2002
Kane finished his second WHL season with 48 goals and 96 points, fourth in League scoring. He surpassed Adam Courchaine's team record of 43 goals in a single season, set in 2002–03. Second in team scoring to Pierro-Zabotel's 115 points, the line-mates finished one-two in all-time Giants' single-season scoring as Pierro-Zabotel and Kane both surpassed Gilbert Brulé's previous 87-point mark. Kane received WHL West First Team All-Star honors along with teammates Pierro-Zabotel and Jonathon Blum. In the subsequent 2009 playoffs, after the Giants swept the Prince George Cougars in the first round, Kane scored a double-overtime game-winner to force a seventh game in the second round against the Spokane Chiefs. After eliminating the Chiefs in the seventh game, the Giants were then defeated by the Kelowna Rockets in six games in the semi-finals. In 17 postseason games, Kane accumulated 15 points.
December 13, 2006
Kane was drafted 19th overall in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft by the Vancouver Giants. He received his first WHL call-up for a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds on December 13, 2006, due to other Giants players international commitments in the World Junior Championships. Kane scored his first WHL goal, a game-tying marker, on March 25, 2007, the last game of the regular season. He also suited up for five WHL postseason games, being originally called up for the playoffs after Giants forward Tim Kraus was suspended for game three of the opening round. He later appeared in two Memorial Cup games, tallying an assist, as part of the Giants' 2007 Memorial Cup championship.
2007
During his major junior career, Kane won the Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2007, finished as runner-up for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL rookie of the year in 2008 and was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team in 2009. Kane also set the Giants' franchise record for single-season goals in 2008–09.
October 10, 2008
Kane emerged with an impressive start to the 2008–09 season, registering at least a point in each of his first 22 games. After recording his first WHL hat-trick on October 10, 2008, against the Kelowna Rockets, he was named WHL Player of the Week on October 12, succeeding line-mate Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who had been chosen the previous week. Kane earned a spot as an injury replacement at the 2009 World Junior Championships with Team Canada. Upon returning with a gold medal, Kane was named player of the week for the second time in the season on January 12, 2009, after scoring six points in two games immediately following the World Juniors. Later that month, he participated in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game as captain for Team Cherry.
July 20, 2009
Kane was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers. Less than a month later, the Thrashers signed Kane to an entry-level contract on July 20, 2009.
October 03, 2009
Kane made the Thrashers' lineup out of his first NHL training camp for the 2009–10 season. He recorded his first career NHL point in his debut on October 3, 2009, earning an assist on a goal by Rich Peverley against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His first goal was scored five days later, on October 8, beating Chris Mason with a snap shot in a 4–2 win over the St. Louis Blues. He suffered a bone fracture, late in his rookie season, blocking a shot during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 6, 2010. Kane missed 15 games before returning to the lineup on April 3. Kane finished his NHL rookie campaign with 14 goals and 26 points in 66 games, ranked 12th among first-year point-scorers.
2010
Kane suffered several minor injuries during his second NHL season in 2010–11 season. During a game against the Colorado Avalanche on November 30, 2010, Kane suffered a left knee injury after he was struck by a shot from teammate Tobias Enström; he missed two games. The following month, he missed one game due to an arm injury, sustained during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 7. In January 2011, he missed an additional six games due to a lower-body injury. Kept from the lineup for a total nine games, Kane increased his points total to 43 with 19 goals and 24 assists. He ranked fifth in team point-scoring – third among forward behind captain Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little.
January 2012
During the off-season, the Thrashers franchise was bought and relocated by True North Sports and Entertainment, becoming the new Winnipeg Jets. Kane was enjoying a successful first season as a Jet, leading his team in scoring with 18 goals and 31 points by mid-January 2012. During that month, however, he was sidelined with a concussion that was reported on January 21. Later in the season, he recorded a four-point game (two goals and two assists) in a 7–0 win against the Florida Panthers on March 1, 2012. On September 15, 2012, Kane signed a six-year, $31.5 million contract extension with the Jets.
April 03, 2014
On April 3, 2014, Kane was accused of assault, after an incident in Vancouver; he was later sued for financial damages. On April 5, 2014, Kane was a healthy scratch under new head coach Paul Maurice, in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. After the game, Maurice said it was a coach's decision, and that if Kane wanted back in the lineup, all he needed to do was "probably just come to the rink." On February 3, 2015 Kane was a healthy scratch against the Vancouver Canucks. It was later determined that he was scratched because of an incident with his teammates. Kane revealed in an October 2015 interview that he felt the Jets did not "have his back" throughout his legal and behavioral issues but instead felt that they traded away their problem.
February 11, 2015
The Jets traded Kane on February 11, 2015, as well as Zach Bogosian and the rights to Jason Kasdorf, to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and a conditional first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft (Jack Roslovic). On October 14, 2016, Kane cracked three ribs in the season-opening game when he crashed into boards while fighting for the puck with Alexei Emelin of the Montreal Canadiens, which left him unable to play indefinitely.
June 2016
On August 1, 2016, Kane pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal trespassing and four counts of non-criminal harassment after confrontations with four separate people at a downtown Buffalo bar in June 2016. At that time, Kane was a member of the Buffalo Sabres. According to a police report, Kane became involved in a fight with a bouncer at a bar called Bottoms Up, after allegedly grabbing an unnamed woman by the throat and attempting to force her into a car outside the nightclub. A second police report alleged that, in a separate incident, Kane grabbed a woman by the arms inside the nightclub and attempted to force her outside. Kane surrendered to Buffalo police in late July 2016. Said Sabres GM Tim Murray of the incident, "Whether he has done these things or not, or he's guilty of these things or not, it's not something I like getting up in the morning and reading about, that's for sure." The incident came after another incident in February, in which Kane was suspended by the team for missing a practice after attending the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto. GM Murray noted that Kane's off-ice behavior has been very negative for both the player and the Sabres' organization. The Bottoms Up case was later adjourned and dismissed. Referred to as an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal, a case can be adjourned for more than six months and after a set period of time, the charges are dismissed if the defendant can display and maintain good behavior.
July 01, 2016
On July 1, 2016, Kane was sued by a 21-year-old woman who accused him of assaulting her in the hotel room where he lived. According to court documents, the woman alleged that Kane "met her in a bar, invited her to what he said was a party and then attacked her, causing cuts and bleeding that required multiple surgeries."
February 26, 2018
Amid declining performance and approaching the end of his contract, Sabres management benched him ahead of the 2018 trade deadline. On February 26, 2018, the Sabres traded Kane to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Danny O'Regan, a conditional first-round or second-round pick in 2019 and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2020. In his Sharks debut, Kane had two assists in a 5–2 win against the Edmonton Oilers. On March 16, 2018, Kane scored his first NHL hat-trick against the Calgary Flames, and then later added a fourth goal, contributing more than half the goals in the Sharks 7–4 win.
April 26, 2018
On April 26, 2018, Kane received a one-game suspension for cross-checking Vegas Golden Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare during Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals. Through nine playoffs games, Kane recorded four goals and five points. On May 24, 2018, the Sharks re-signed Kane to a seven-year, $49-million contract worth $7 million annually. Kane has said that he would like to remain with the Sharks for the rest of his career.
March 14, 2019
Kane and his wife have one daughter. On March 14, 2019, Kane announced that his wife had a miscarriage at 26 weeks.
November 04, 2019
On November 4, 2019, Kane was sued by The Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas after he walked out on a half-million-dollar gambling debt. The suit alleged that Kane had received $500,000 in gambling markers from the casino in April while the Sharks were in Las Vegas for a playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Such markers are essentially lines of credit which allow casino guests to continue gambling, and those extended to Kane were disbursed in eight separate installments, ranging in value from $20,000 to $100,000. The suit claims that Kane left the casino without making arrangements to settle the debt. The casino sought full restitution plus repayment of legal fees associated with the lawsuit.
January 05, 2020
During the 2019–20 preseason, Kane was suspended for the first three games of the regular season due to abuse of officials. Two games after returning from his suspension, Kane became the first Sharks player in franchise history to record a first period hat trick in a 5–2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Kane recorded another natural hat trick later that season when the Sharks visited the Washington Capitals on January 5, 2020, scoring three straight goals in just over 10 minutes during the second period in a 5–4 overtime loss. After an elbowing hit in a game against the Winnipeg Jets on February 14, 2020, Kane was suspended for three games. Kane repeated as league leader in penalty minutes with 122 while registering 26 goals and 47 points, marking his fifth consecutive season with at least 20 goals.
June 08, 2020
On June 8, 2020, Kane co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance, alongside former player Akim Aliu, to address intolerance and racism in hockey.
January 2021
In July 2021, Kane's estranged wife, Anna Kane, in an Instagram post publicly accused her husband of betting on games involving his own team, and of "throwing games with bookies to win money". The NHL announced that it would investigate the allegation. Kane later published a statement offering his full cooperation and categorically denied his involvement in any hockey-related betting, suggesting that his wife's claims were motivated by distress related to their ongoing divorce process. In a later interview with ESPN's Linda Cohn, he admitted that he did have a gambling addiction that led to large personal debts and that he has sought professional help for his gambling addiction. In a January 2021 bankruptcy filing, Evander Kane listed that he owed $1.5 million in gambling debts.
January 11, 2021
On January 11, 2021, Kane reportedly filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in California after amassing $26.8 million of debt.
August 2021
In September 2021 in a domestic violence restraining order application for their divorce case, Anna Kane (who had previously made the game betting allegations) accused Kane of sexual assault and multiple instances of domestic battery. Kane's attorney has denied that Kane abused her and their daughter Kensington. In August 2021, Kane received a temporary restraining order against Anna, with Kane claiming that she has physically abused him in the past. Kane has since been seeking a permanent restraining order against Anna. On the same day that the NHL cleared Kane of the gambling allegations, it announced that it was investigating the domestic violence claims. On October 18, 2021 the NHL ruled that the domestic violence accusations could not be substantiated.
September 22, 2021
On September 22, 2021 the NHL released its findings into the investigation into the claims and found no evidence of game betting allegations and also stated "To the contrary, the evidence raises doubts about the veracity of the allegations."
October 18, 2021
Also on the same day that Kane was cleared of gambling, the NHL revealed that it was investigating claims that Kane engaged in "inappropriate behavior potentially jeopardizing the health and safety" of his teammates. On October 5, Front Office Sports reported that the NHL was investigating claims that Kane had submitted a fake COVID-19 vaccine card as proof that he had been vaccinated. This was subsequently corroborated by The Associated Press, The Athletic, and ESPN. On October 18, 2021 the NHL suspended Kane for 21 games over the issue. Following the suspension, Kane was placed on waivers by the Sharks, and was sent down to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. After only five games with the Barracuda, Kane tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the AHL COVID-19 protocol. On January 8, 2022, the Sharks placed Kane on unconditional waivers with intent to terminate the contract.
October 18, 2021
On October 18, 2021, Kane was suspended by the NHL for the opening 21 games of the 2021–22 season for "violation of, and lack of compliance with, the NHL/NHLPA COVID-19 protocols". On November 28, 2021, following the completion of his suspension, the Sharks placed Kane on waivers and was re-assigned to AHL for the first time in career, joining the San Jose Barracuda the following day.
January 08, 2022
On January 8, 2022, it was announced that the Sharks had placed Kane on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, due to violation of AHL COVID-19 protocols.
