San Jose Sharks' Evander Kane denies claim he bet on his own games; NHL will investigate
The National Hockey League said it will look into allegations that San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane bet on his own games and tried to lose games for profit.
Kane denied the claims.
The allegations came from an Instagram post that is purported to be from his wife, Anna.
In the posts Anna Kane said, “How does the NHL let a compulsive gambling addict still play when he’s obviously throwing games to win money? Hmm maybe someone needs to address this. Can someone ask Gary Bettman how they let a player gamble on his own games? Bet and win with bookies on his own games?”
The NHL said in a statement: "The League was made aware this evening of a post on social media alleging that San Jose Sharks Player Evander Kane bet on NHL games. The integrity of our game is paramount and the League takes these allegations very seriously. We intend to conduct a full investigation and will have no further comment at this time."
The Sharks said they have been in contact with the league about Kane.
The forward denied the allegation in a statement on Sunday.
"I would like to address the completely FALSE accusations that my estranged wife and soon to be ex wife has made against me," he said. "Even against the advice of my legal team 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.
— Evander Kane (@evanderkane_9) August 1, 2021
"The facts are I personally had my best season of 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 with the league's investigation, having my name cleared and looking forward to this upcoming season."
In January, Kane filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, saying he is $27 million in debt and is facing six lawsuits, court actions and administrative proceedings with lending agencies. In the bankruptcy petition, it stated that Kane has lost $1.5 million in gambling in the past year.
Kane, 29, has spent the last four seasons with San Jose. In 212 games with the Sharks, he has 87 goals and 79 assists. He led the league in penalty minutes in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Kane is in the middle of a seven-year, $49 million contract he signed in 2018. He also has played for the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Evander Kane: NHL to look into allegations Sharks forward bet on games
