Hockey Diversity Alliance fires back at Evander Kane.

The Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) is in the midst of an ugly divorce and it is all playing out before the eyes of the public.

Things kicked off this week when Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane issued a public statement, distancing himself from the HDA and making comments that were very critical of the organizations leadership. Kane accused the current leaders within the organization of pushing their personal agendas, comments that have now prompted another public response from the HDA.

On Friday, the HDA issued a statement of its own in which the organization fired back at Evander Kane over his comments. The organization severely downplayed the role that Kane has played in the HDA since his much publicized bankruptcy, all the while also denying the allegations made by Kane in his own statement.

For the sake of preserving the HDA's message, here it is unedited and in full:

Evander Kane has not been involved with the HDA for more than two years. When he declared bankruptcy in January 2021, he was automatically disqualified from serving as a director of the HDA pursuant to the provisions of the Canadian not-for-profit corporations act, which statute governs the HDA. Since then, he has not attended meetings, nor contributed to the strategic or programmatic vision of the organization.

Evander has expressed an interest to re-join the HDA on numerous occasions, but the group felt he needed to put in more work before re-joining. We had left the door open for him to re-engage in some capacity when that work was done and he was in a better place to be a role model for young athletes. We are surprised by todays statement and unfounded reference to personal agendas, but we wish Evander well and thank him for his role in starting our organization.

As one of the founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance Kane's comments will no doubt raise many concerns regarding the future of the organization. The HDA's response however suggests that there is more than one side to this story, so stay tuned for more details.