Evander Kane says he 'never' gambled on NHL games amid wife's allegations
San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane has publicly denied allegations made by his estranged wife, Anna, that he has gambled on Sharks games for his own gain.
"Unfortunately, I would like to address the completely FALSE accusations that my estranged wife and soon to be ex wife has made against me," the 29-year-old tweeted Sunday morning (Aug. 1). "Even against the advice of my legal time I feel strongly that the public and fans hear this directly from me. 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."
Read Kane's full statements below:
Anna Kane's original allegations were posted to her Instagram Story on Saturday (July 31):
The NHL announced a "full investigation" into her claims shortly afterward:
And soon after Kane's vehement denial, Anna remained steadfast in her allegations and posted even more detailed and serious accusations to her Instagram Story:
"Soon to be ex wife because I tried to stop you from gambling," she began. "Has anyone ever dealt with an Addict? When you were flying to different cities this year on OFF days with criminals to count cards at random casinos and told me the people you are gambling with would kill me and [daughter] Kensington if I told anyone."
"So I was supposed to let you gamble, cheat on me with prostitutes and be ok with that life," she added.
If the NHL uncovers any truth behind Anna's claims, the consequences figure to be swift and unflinching:
Kane was previously sued in November 2019 by a Las Vegas casino for failing to pay $500,000 in gambling debts:
The case was dismissed in April 2020, as reported by The Las Vegas Review-Journal at the time.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner, who was teammates with Kane in Buffalo from 2015-18, cautioned against jumping to conclusions in a lengthy Twitter thread posted Sunday morning:
San Jose originally acquired Kane through a trade with the Buffalo Sabres in February 2018, and then signed him to a seven-year contract that May. Per Spotrac, the contract is worth up to $49 million and won't place him in free agency until 2025.
On the ice, Kane notched 22 goals and 27 assists across 56 games for the 21-28 Sharks last season.
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