The investigation held by the National Hockey League (NHL) into claims that Evander Kane, a player for the San Jose Sharks, participated in schemes to fix NHL games and gambled on such games has faced some difficulties. Reportedly, the setbacks faced by the investigators have slowed the process down, which means that it is now unclear whether the probe will be finalized by the time the team’s training camp starts in about a fortnight.
The inspectors that were hired by the National Hockey League to dig into the allegations made this summer by Anna Kane, the estranged wife of the player, that the San Jose Sharks forward placed bets on NHL games and was participating in schemes to fix games to win money. According to media reports, the investigators have been so far unable to interview the player’s soon-to-be-ex-wife.
In August, the deputy commissioner of the NHL, Bill Daly, told Front Office Sports that the National Hockey League expected to see the probe into Evander Kane brought to an end by the beginning of the training camp. However, new reports show that the initial schedule for the probe might be jeopardized, considering the fact that the NHL club plans to start training camp somewhere around September 20th.
In an email to the press, Mr. Daly shared that he was unable to provide a definitive timeline for the end of the investigation at this point.
Kane Could Be Suspended from Hockey under the Collective Bargaining Agreement of NHL Players’ Association
As CasinoGamesPro previously reported, in an Instagram post published at the end of July 2021, Anna Kane called her husband a “compulsive gambling addict” and not only accused him of spending money on NHL bets but also alleged that he participated in schemes of losing hockey games so that he won money from his wagers.
According to court records, her petition for divorce from Evander Kane was filed on July 16th.
Mere hours after the controversial posts appeared on Ms. Kane’s Instagram account, the National Hockey League announced that it would start an investigation. At the time, the San Jose Sharks, the club Evander Kane plays for, said it would support the investigation, while the NHL shared that keeping the integrity of the game intact was a matter of paramount importance, so the League took the allegations very seriously.
Reportedly, Evander Kane listed gambling losses of $1.5 million at the time when he filed for bankruptcy in January this year. After his estranged wife published the allegations on Instagram, he used his Twitter account to deny them, adding that he would help the investigation that had been started by the NHL with whatever he could.
Under the provisions of the NHL Players’ Association collective bargaining agreement, players are currently not allowed to place bets on any NHL game, regardless if it comes to the player’s team or not. NHL players who breach these rules may be suspended from the game by the commissioner.
