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Through my life following sports, I've seen many athletes implode before our vary eyes. Both physically and mentally, these men or women are also human and can tend to let the stress of being a professional athlete get to them. The recent case that comes to my head is Antonio Brown. His downfall from 2018 and 2019 was well documented and troubling. Due to media coverage, their problems are magnified by five. This is where Evander Kane comes in.
After a sterling career in the juniors, the Atlanta Thrashers drafted Kane with the fourth pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. It was history since Evander became the highest selection for a black player in NHL draft history. His father, Perry, played in hockey leagues in Canada, enduring racial slurs during his time on ice. Perry would mold Evander into a top prospect for the NHL. Evander's combination of speed and his willingness to dish out big hits to his opponents. Unfortunately, his type of play also resulted in many injuries during his first three seasons in the league. Despite that, the Thrashers saw a future star for their franchise. The problem was that during the 2011-2012 offseason, the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and became the Jets. Kane became a star in a more hockey crazed city. The Jets showed their loyalty towards Kane, gifting him a six-year extension worth $31.5 million to stay in Winnipeg.
This is where things become complicated. Evander Kane has a reputation of being a hothead and a nuisance. During the lockout before the 2012-2013 season, Kane was shown on social media, holding a stack full of money. It rubbed everyone the wrong way during a time a work stoppage happened where many employees in the NHL were having their pay suspended. He was accused of assualt in 2014 in Vancouver and was a healthy scratch on at least two occasions for incidents that were a determinant to the organization. The Winnipeg Jets had enough of Kane's antics and decided to trade him to the Buffalo Sabres in hopes a change of scenery could help him mature.
Here's the problem. Other than a certain team which is about to be kicked out of their arena at season's end, the Buffalo Sabres are considered the laughingstock of the NHL. The Pegulas have done everything in their power to ensure that moniker. Take a guess what happened to Kane in Buffalo? About the same damn thing. His troubles with the law followed him to Western New York state. Also, what is it with NHL players named Kane getting arrested in Buffalo? Look at Patrick Kane. Multiple arrests in bars and regressing on the ice caused Evander Kane to wear out his welcome with the Sabres. The organization was looking to unload him off to another team during the deadline in 2018. Enter Doug Wilson, GM of the San Jose Sharks and the faux "King of the Trade Deadline". Wilson wanted to add an enforcer with scoring prowess and decided to roll the dice to bring Kane onto an already stacked roster and Stanley Cup contender.
Something positive happened once arriving to San Jose. Evander Kane became the player that everyone envisioned as the fourth pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. He was scoring hat tricks, tossing assists to teammates and assessing penalty minutes? The point is that Evander Kane landed in San Jose to mature and reach his potential. He also had admiration from his teammates. Doug Wilson and the Sharks organization had so much faith in him that they handed Kane a seven-year $49 million contract. I want you to remember that figure. Anyway, Evander Kane was expecting to have a long, fruitful career with the San Jose Sharks.
On the ice, Kane was propelling into a key member to the Sharks' success. Off it, his personal life was falling apart. In around 2019, Evander Kane had been notorious in the Las Vegas casino scene. He was actually sued by the Cosmopolitan Casino due to a half million-dollar debt. His gambling habit became so nauseating to the point where he had to file for bankruptcy for a $26 million debt. Remember, he signed a seven-year $49 million contract in 2018. His marriage was publicly falling apart as his soon-to-be ex-wife, Anna, stated that Evander was betting on his own team during games. Reportedly, his teammates didn't want anything to do with him. Their back-and-forth in the public has become tragic. Then, Evander Kane decided to have a fake vaccination card in order to play this season. The NHL and the Sharks seemed to had enough of Kane and suspended him for 21 games. Ironically, I mentioned Antonio Brown earlier and he was suspended for the same thing in the NFL. After the suspension ended, San Jose placed Kane on waivers and he is currently on their AHL affiliate club.
Evander Kane's career can return once his personal life can settle down. He is only 30 and has plenty of hockey left in the tank. If he can stay away from trouble or any distractions, Evander Kane can reach the potential as the fourth pick in the 2009 NHL Draft.
(On a personal note, excessive gambling is a disease that ruin people. I had my family and friends go through this. If you are having trouble due to gambling, ask for help. Trust me, it will help you.)
(Sources: Wikipedia, Mercury News, NHL.com, TMZ, ESPN, Twitter, New York Post)
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