The NHL said Wednesday it has found no evidence San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane gambled on league games or made any effort to negatively impact his own club’s games.
“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,” the league said in a statement.
The league went on to say “additional unrelated allegations” were brought to its attention and are now being investigated, though specifics were not provided by the league at this time.
In an interview with ESPN’s Linda Cohn last week, Kane said the gambling allegations made against him are “incredibly false.”
In July, Kane’s estranged wife, Anna Kane, came out with a series of public accusations against him, including allegations he had bet on his own NHL games. Shortly after, the NHL announced the league was opening up an investigation into the matter. Kane denied the allegations at the time, with respect to his personal conduct and gambling, and re-iterated that stance during the ESPN interview.
“Obviously, when [the allegations] happened, I understood the magnitude of them immediately, not knowing what was going to happen next. But confident, because I know that’s not true. I knew none of what she was saying was true,” Kane told Cohn of the accusations made. “I was very confident, comfortable with where I was, knowing that I was gonna be exonerated and am going to be exonerated of those allegations.”
Asked by Cohn whether he still gambled, Kane said he did not. Cohn also asked a series of pointed questions about his gambling history with respect to the NHL — particularly, whether he had ever bet on an NHL game or altered the way he played because of a bet — and he responded that he had not.
Kane admitted that he had dealt with a gambling problem, and opened up about how it affected his life. He said his decision to file for bankruptcy in January was the first step to “making some better decisions moving forward.”
Kane, a 30-year-old Vancouver native, broke into the NHL with Atlanta after the Thrashers picked him fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Kane moved with the franchise to Winnipeg before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2015.
The San Jose Sharks acquired Kane in a deal with Buffalo in 2018.
Kane has four years left on a seven-year, $49-million contract he signed with the Sharks in 2018.
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