Evander Kane unloads and sparks controversy in first explosive interview as Canuck

New Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane is no stranger to controversy, but this week, he went full scorched earth on the critics and reporters he claims are obsessed with tearing him down. In a candid interview with The Province, Kane addressed the criticism that followed his decision to skip the traditional handshake line after the Edmonton Oilers’ elimination from the Stanley Cup Final against the back to back champions Florida Panthers.

As you may remember during the third period of Game 6 between the Oilers and Panthers earlier this week, Kane started losing his temper and having a hissy fit on the ice, swinging his stick at Matthew Tkachuk and attempting to injure him. Kane was therefore given a misconduct and was ejected from the contest. However, once the final buzzer went off and the Cats celebrated, Kane did not come out of the tunnel to join his teammates in the line.

“It’s baffling to me, how anybody saw that in any other way than somebody getting kicked out of a game,” said Kane to the Province. “I mean, I’ve been kicked out of games in the past. Other players have been kicked out of games of the past. I’ve never seen anybody come out and shake hands if they were kicked out of the game in an elimination game of the postseason. So, I didn’t. Then I saw some criticism around it for me, I felt like they were just looking for something to talk about.

“Even if you look at, like, some of the chat about how I had been playing with a couple of minutes left to go. The season’s over. I mean, who cares?”For Kane, the handshake line controversy is just another example of what he sees as a long-running double standard, one where his actions are judged differently than other players around the NHL.

“You look at some of the media pundits, they talk about how you gotta go down swinging, and then once you go down swinging, it’s all about discipline, has he lost his mind. I find it ridiculous. You know, these are people that have never been in real intense competition ever in their lives — a lot of them, at least. I find it funny to listen to to it sometimes.”

Kane didn’t stop there and suggested the media treats him differently because of the way he looks.

“Media are always looking for something to talk about and, on both sides of the equation, they love pointing out certain things when it comes to me,” said Kane. “Yeah, like they ask for and they love candidness, but it’s only from particular people, at least it seems that way. They like emotion from certain players, and they call it emotion with certain players. And when another player shows that same kind of emotion, they call it something else. They call it a lack of maturity. They call it, ‘Losing his mind. Losing control.’ It’s whatever they want, whatever terms they want to use — character flaw, whatever it may be. They throw these terms out very loosely. The same actions, they could have two different adjectives to describe two different players.”

He added: “When a player looks a little different, they don’t know how to handle it. They feel uncomfortable.”

It’s a serious accusation, and a complicated one, especially given Kane’s history. His critics often point to a long list of off-ice issues: a terminated contract with the Sharks in San Jose, a bankruptcy filing with $1.5 million in gambling debts, and a 21-game suspension for violating COVID protocols. He’s also been cleared of other allegations, including gambling on NHL games and domestic abuse with his former wife as the courts sided with him and granted custody of his daughter.

At this point, some fans believe Kane is right and is being unfairly targeted by the media, while others say this just more deflection from a player with a history of self-inflicted wounds and shooting himself in the foot.

One thing’s certain: Kane still knows how to grab headlines. The question now is whether fans are still willing to listen. Especially his new fanbase in Vancouver.