The NHL said in a statement Saturday that it plans to investigate an allegation that Sharks winger Evander Kane gambled on NHL games.
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Shortly after the league’s announcement, the Sharks issued a statement to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz, saying they support a "full and transparent investigation."
The allegation came to light earlier Saturday, when an unverified Instagram account attributed to Kane's wife, Anna, claimed in a post that he had left her and their two young children to go on a vacation in Europe while their home was being taken by a bank. In a subsequent post, Anna Kane tagged the NHL and told the league to ask commissioner Gary Bettman how he can let a player bet "on his own games."
Kane, 29, has played four seasons with the Sharks and 12 total seasons in the NHL, also spending time with the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres. He’s entering the fourth year of a seven-year, $49 million contract he signed with San Jose in 2018.
In November 2019, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that The Cosmopolitan was suing Kane for $500,000 in unpaid gambling markers that were extended to him beginning in April of that year. Court documents showed in April 2020 that The Cosmopolitan dropped the lawsuit against Kane, though a reason wasn’t given.
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In January, The Athletic’s Dan Kaplan reported that Kane had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and claimed nearly $27 million in debt, including $1.5 million in gambling losses over the preceding 12 months. Kaplan reported that Kane was facing six active "lawsuits, court actions and administrative proceedings with lenders," and confirmed reporting by San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng that a lawsuit had been filed by Centennial Bank in federal court in Florida seeking $8.3 million from Kane and the Sharks.
In the bankruptcy filing, Kane listed $26.8 million in liabilities and $10.2 million in assets, while listing seven dependents.
