A bombshell announcement dropped early Saturday evening that San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane bet on games he played in. The allegations came from Kane’s wife, Anna, in an Instagram post. The league is investigating matters and made that announcement on social media. However, Kane countered the accusations in his own post on social media.
The League was made aware this evening of a post on social media alleging that San Jose Sharks Player Evander Kane bet on NHL games. The integrity of our game is paramount and the League takes these allegations very seriously. (1/2)
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 31, 2021
Evander Kane Under Investigation
Kane has played for the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks in his 12-year NHL career. He has 264 goals and 242 assists for 506 points in 769 career games. The Vancouver native got drafted in the first round, fourth overall by Atlanta in the 2009 NHL Draft. He scored 22 goals in 56 games last season for San Jose.
The Sharks also released a statement on social media on Saturday saying they’ve been in contact with the league over the allegations. San Jose also said they “support a full and transparent investigation into the situation to maintain the integrity of the game and consistency with our team values.”
Kane made a statement on social media denying the allegations. He said he can’t wait to clear his name during the investigation.
— Evander Kane (@evanderkane) August 1, 2021
What This Means
It’s a very serious allegation that the veteran NHLer is facing. The social media post is damming. However, the legal process must play out before any judgement can be made. NHL officials will do their due diligence before coming up with their next course of action.
It’s not the first time has faced problems as he was sued in May of this year for $15 million plus attorney fees by a lender. The lawsuit stems Kane allegedly defrauding Professional Bank of a $1.5 million loan application. That report came from The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan. Kane did file for bankruptcy in January claiming debts of $26. 8 million.
This is very serious deal for the NHL. Casino companies are now advertising with the league. The league doesn’t want and shouldn’t want anyone questioning the integrity of the on-ice product. The league had a quick response after the allegations were made.