© Stan Szeto | 2021 May 7
Sharks star forward Evander Kane has responded to allegations made by his wife that he gambled on Sharks games and tried to intentionally lose games to win bets.
“I have NEVER gambled/bet on Hockey, NEVER gambled/bet on a Sharks game, NEVER gambled/bet on any of my games and NEVER thrown a hockey game,” Kane wrote on Twitter. “The facts are I personally had my best season of the my career last year and was the most consistent I’ve been throughout any season, I’m proud of that. I love the game of Hockey and would never do any of what was alleged. I look forward to cooperating fully with the league’s investigation, having my name cleared and looking forward to this upcoming season.”
The statement comes after a series of Instagram posts from his wife, Anna Kane, last week.
“How does the NHL let a compulsive gambling addict still play when he’s obviously throwing games to win money?” Anna Kane wrote. “Hmm maybe someone needs to address this.”
“Can someone ask [commissioner] Gary Bettman how they let a player gamble on his own games? Bet and win with bookies on his own games?”
Anna Kane went on to say that Evander asked her to sell her wedding ring to survive and wrote about not being able to afford baby formula for their child.
Evander denied all those allegations and called his wife “mentally unwell.”
“I love my daughter,” he wrote. “I will and always have taken care of my daughter in every way possible. I have always made sure her mother has had everything she’s needed and more. I have tried to de-escalate our divorce issues and be as civil and calm as anyone in this position could. I have tried to set up FaceTime calls but not every day as I would like to because of being restricted by her mom. She has refused me to see her and had unfortunately tried to use my daughter as leverage. I will continue to always take care of my family, that goes without question.”
A Sharks team spokesman wrote in an email to The Associated Press that: “The San Jose Sharks have been in contact today with the National Hockey League about the serious allegations made against Evander Kane. We support a full and transparent investigation into the situation to maintain the integrity of the game and consistency with our team values.”
This is not the first time Kane has been involved in a gambling scandal. In 2019 he was sued by a Vegas casino for not paying a $500,000 gambling debt that he racked up during a playoff series vs. the Las Vegas Golden Knights.