Evander Kane may be the most toxic player in the NHL.
The Buffalo Sabres winger’s offseason has been spent denying repeated, disgusting allegations of violence against women. Kane’s lawyers confirmed this week the 25-year-old is being sued by a woman accusing him of assault.
The suit being filed is in connection with an incident from last December that originally was described as a possible sexual assault. In court documents, per the Associated Press, Kane’s actions are described as “unwanted, unconsented to, violent and offensive in nature,” and the 21-year-old woman states she suffered “permanent and painful personal injuries” and “serious emotional trauma.”
The lawsuit alleges Kane bought the woman drinks at a restaurant before inviting her back to the hotel room where he lived on the “false pretext” of a party.
No accusation was made at the time, though the Erie County District Attorney’s Office and the Buffalo Police sex offense squad opened a probe after a local hospital reported finding evidence of trauma in treating the woman, who said she could not remember what happened after spending the night with Kane.
Kane was cleared of criminal charges due to a lack of supporting evidence following a nearly three-month investigation. Kane has said it was a consensual sexual encounter. Kane’s lawyers said they are preparing a countersuit for false claims.
Also this week, on Monday, Kane pleaded not guilty to charges of non-criminal harassment, disorderly conduct and trespass stemming from a June incident in a downtown Buffalo nightclub. Kane is accused of grabbing three different women, and one of the club’s bouncers also said he had a physical altercation with Kane that night.
“He came up to me like he always does. He said: ‘You’re coming to my house with me and you’re going to like it.’ I told him no,” one woman’s statement said, according to the Buffalo News. “He had his hands around my neck. He grabbed my neck with both hands and pulled me close. It was like I couldn’t breathe. It hurt. … Later in the night he grabbed my hair hard, pulled my head back and put one hand around my neck.”
A second woman said that Kane approached her several times, also pulling her hair repeatedly and arguing with her.
“Evander Kane grabbed my hand and put it up to my face with his hand. He told me to kiss his hand,” the woman said in her statement.
When a bouncer attempted to escort Kane from the club, Kane allegedly reacted by telling the bouncer, “I’m gonna do you a favor and pretend I didn’t hear you,” and later allegedly threatened to kill the bouncer.
Kane’s defense attorney, Paul Cambria — who previously represented NHL star Patrick Kane (no relation) in a rape case in the Buffalo area — has said the surveillance video from the club is not sufficient evidence and questioned the motives behind the accusations. The case is due back in court on Sept. 9.
A former first-round draft pick, Kane made his NHL debut for the then-Atlanta Thrashers in 2009 at the age of 18. His career has been a story of unfulfilled on-ice promise and clashes with teammates — now against a backdrop of increasingly sordid off-ice accusations.
One such snapshot: After violating the Winnipeg Jets’ dress code by wearing a track suit to the team’s morning meeting, teammate Dustin Byfuglien threw Kane’s outfit into the shower in an effort to send a message. After the incident, Kane was incommunicado until an hour before puck drop and was scratched from the game against the Canucks.
Kane is the same guy who once posted a photo of himself on the balcony of a Vegas hotel using stacks of hundred-dollar bills as an imitation phone.
After being acquired by the Sabres in February 2015, the Vancouver native’s reputation continued to circle the drain. He faced a one-game suspension this February for sleeping in and missing practice in Buffalo after spending the previous night attending the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto.
Kane, who has two years remaining on his contract, had 20 goals and 15 assists in 65 games last season.
Both the NHL and the Sabres released statements earlier this summer acknowledging the nightclub incident in which Kane was later arrested, though no such releases surfaced Tuesday in light of the woman’s lawsuit.
“He’s going to have to behave himself a lot better than he has obviously,” Sabres general manager Tim Murray said in early July. “Whether he has done these things or not, or he is guilty of these things or not, it’s not something I like getting up in the morning and reading about, that’s for sure. … Certainly, we don’t like the fact that this is twice now that he’s been in incidents like this. It’s not good for the organization. It’s not good for him.”
With AP