The NHL concluded its investigation into Evander Kane’s gambling allegations. The probe determined that “no evidence” was found and the matter is now closed.
Per the NHL’s statement: “The investigation included a detailed review of social media, public data, and court filings from the bankruptcy proceeding initiated by Mr. Kane in January 2021 and his pending divorce proceeding; a review of sports betting data and analysis; and in person and virtual interviews of members of the Sharks organization and others, including Mr. Kane. It should be noted that Ms. Kane refused to participate in the investigation.”
“The investigation uncovered no evidence to corroborate Ms. Kane’s accusations that Mr. Kane bet or otherwise participated in gambling on NHL games, and no evidence to corroborate the allegations that Mr. Kane ‘threw’ games or did not put forward his best effort to help the Sharks win games. To the contrary, the evidence raises doubts about the veracity of the allegations.”
Evander Kane will not participate in Sharks camp
Although the probe cleared him of gambling on hockey games, new allegations brought up by his estranged wife are being looked into.
The San Jose Sharks released a statement late yesterday indicating that in light of the probe, Kane will not be at training camp.
“The San Jose Sharks are aware of additional allegations that are unrelated to the National Hockey League’s investigation into Evander Kane,” it reads. “We take these allegations very seriously and have been in communication with the NHL.”
“The Sharks and Evander Kane have agreed that he will not be participating in the Sharks 2021 Training Camp until further notice.”
Phil Kessel out with foot injury
The Arizona Coyotes announced yesterday that Phil Kessel will be held out of training camp due to a foot injury.
Kessel was seen at media day in a walking boot, and his timeline for return is estimated at 2-3 weeks.
The 33 year-old forward can still produce and would give any offensively challenged team a boost. Last season, he scored 20 goals and 43 points in 56 games for the Yotes.
He has been the subject of trade rumors all summer.
New York Rangers will name a captain
New head coach Gerard Gallant met with the media yesterday and was asked about the Rangers naming a captain. His comments were pretty definitive. “I don’t know for sure what’s going to happen, but if I was a betting man, I think we will have a captain on day one” he said.
“Day one of the NHL regular season,” he clarified further. “And it could be before that, we’ll see. If I was a betting man, we’ll have a captain.”
When asked to expand on what he’s looking for, Gallant went back to his mantra of it being all about the 23 men on the team.
“Captains are important to your team, but 23 guys are more important for me,” he said. “Whoever gets the C on our team isn’t going to be alone. We need everybody to be a leader.”
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