San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended for 21 games without pay by the NHL, the league announced today. The ruling comes as a result of Kane breaking established COVID protocols the league had in place which the NHLPA signed off on.
The announcement is just the latest setback for Kane, who had previously had his financial troubles revealed publicly, followed by allegations from his wife of gambling issues and a purported domestic assault. The latest investigation by the league was reportedly sparked by allegations that Kane had submitted a fake vaccination record to NHL officials.
While the league doesn’t have a vaccination mandate per se, unvaccinated players must comply with additional protocols, and would have border issues playing games in Canada. Following the leagues announcement, San Jose issued the following statement:
Thus far, Kane had yet to take part in an NHL game after missing training camp this offseason. San Jose appears to want to be supportive of Kane as he navigates these off ice issues, but sources have also mentioned that support may be wearing thin in the Sharks dressing room as the allegations of misconduct continue to pile up.
The announcement marks Kane’s 5th suspension since breaking into the league in 2009, and is his lengthiest to date. He would be eligible to return on Nov. 30th against the Devils, however it remains unclear at the moment whether San Jose will indeed bring the troubled winger back into the fold.