“Plenty more” Evander Kane gambling stories to come

In case you haven't been following the latest NHL offseason Soap Opera, it features San Jose Sharks star Evander Kane and his messy, public divorce from wife Anna Kane. Anna has alleged on social media that Kane has effectively left her high and dry, bailing on his commitments to his pregnant wife and his daughter to galavant around Europe with his ex-girlfriend. More seriously though, Anna has accused Kane of betting on his games, which of course is a major violation of NHL policies and could result with him being expelled from the league.

We already know, thanks to public court records, that Kane has filed for bankruptcy and has cited major gambling losses as a culprit for his financial problems. Keep in mind that this is a guy with a $7 million annual salary... yet he's worth nothing. Makes my head spin honestly...

Now Kane is the subject of an NHL led investigation to determine if and when he ever made bets on NHL hockey games and even more specifically if he made bets on his own games. 

Until today there there's been no update on the investigation, but ESPN's Greg Wyshynski did some journalistic digging and uncovered some details, including who exactly is in charge of the investigation.

From Wyshynski's latest column for ESPN:

The person putting together the investigation is Jared Maples, who took over as the NHL's chief security officer in June. He was previously in charge of New Jersey's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness since 2017.

Basically, it's a search for a smoking gun. A bookie willing to share information on potential wagers on hockey by Kane, with a paper or electronic trail that backs it up. Multiple sources have told me that any sizable wagers on hockey would stand out like a sore thumb: While a lot of money gets dropped on future bets like Stanley Cup winners, individual games don't see that kind of volume. If he bet big -- and he'd need to, given his debts -- someone would notice.

More than that though, Wyshnyski, a former San Jose resident, offered up his personal take on the Kane situation:

I spent two years out in San Jose before moving back to Brooklyn. Stories about Kane's gambling were legion around the team. There were stories about huge debts. There were stories about the Sharks having to reach out to those whom Kane owed money in an effort to smooth things over, including a Las Vegas casino. There were always stories. I imagine you'll hear more of them in the coming weeks.

In other words, get your popcorn ready. This story is just getting started.