Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane served patrons at the bar Bottoms Up on June 24 as a celebrity bartender. Things allegedly began to take a very dark turn as the night began to wear on.
According to several women and security, Kane grabbed several women by the hair, squeezed his hands around some women’s necks and grappled with a bouncer.
The 24-year-old voluntarily turned himself in following the call for his arrest on July 22nd.
According to depositions obtained by Buffalo News reporter Dale Anderson, Kane grabbed several women forcefully and demanded that they went home with him.
“It came out of nowhere,” one woman who claims Kane grabbed her from the neck. “I was surprised. I don’t really know him. He squeezed me pretty hard. I lost my breath for a second. I went into the bathroom and my neck was red. After he squeezed my neck, he kept after me about hooking up. I kept telling him no. He pulled my hair and went off.”
A second woman reported a similar event.
“He said to me, ’Are you ready to leave?’ I said no,” one woman stated. “He grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the crowd. I was scared and wanted to get away.”
A third woman claimed that Kane grabbed her so hard by the hair that he pulled her head.
Kane was asked by a bouncer, who said he received a text message stating that Kane was acting inappropriate with women at the bar. Kane allegedly pushed the bouncer into a cash register. The bouncer, with the help of another security guard, tussled with Kane all the way into the middle of the dance bar. The bouncer stated that Kane broke free from the two, and pushed the bouncer again. Kane was then grabbed by someone else who escorted Kane out through the back door.
The bouncer claims that video surveillance shows Kane grabbing a brunette woman by the neck in the middle of the dance floor.
Kane’s attorney, Paul J. Cambria Jr., saw the video surveillance, and he believes the video shows that the statements are a bit exaggerated.
“I’ve seen the video and, as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t support these statements,” Cambria said.
Kane has not been disciplined by the Buffalo Sabres or the NHL.
This isn’t the first time Kane has been in the midst of questionable criminal behavior during his time in Buffalo. In December, Kane was under investigation for an alleged sex offense in a hotel. Kane was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in that incident in March.
But the most recent development has left Kane’s general manager, Tim Murray, a bit frustrated with his third-highest paid player on his team.
“Certainly we don’t like this is twice now he’s been in incidents like this,” Murray said on July 2 following the most recent report, according to Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat. “It’s not good for the organization, it’s not good for him. He’s going to have to pick and choose his spots when he goes out a lot better than he does, and he’s going to have to behave himself a lot better than he has, obviously.”
It is widely believed that Murray is actively shopping Kane on the trade market, especially if Jimmy Vesey, the 2016 Hobey Baker award winner as the NCAA’s top player, signs with the Sabres.
Kane can bring value to any number of teams in the NHL. Kane has developed into a consistent 20 to 30 goal scorer within the NHL, though injury has limited his production of late.
But even if Kane is cleared of his latest criminal charges, he still has a lengthy track record of off ice issues. Earlier this season, Kane partied at the NBA All Star game, posting videos of him drinking and dancing late into the night (the videos were later deleted). Kane missed the next day’s practice, breaking a team rule, resulting in a one game suspension.
Buffalo acquired Kane in a mega deal after another off-ice incident drove him out of the Winnipeg Jets’ locker room. Kane violated a team dress code, showing up to a workout in a tracksuit. After taking part in the workout, Dustin Byfuglien threw Kane’s tracksuit into a shower. Kane then skipped a pre-game meeting, refusing to answer his phone until an hour before a game against the Vancouver Canucks, telling his team he would not play in the game. Kane was placed on injured reserve shortly after the incident and was traded to the Sabres a week later.
Additionally, a Vancouver man filed a lawsuit, claiming Kane randomly assaulted him outside of a bar, punching him three times. Kane admits to punching the man, but claims the Vancouver man was the instigator.
Kane is scheduled for an arraignment on Aug. 1 for his alleged criminal wrongdoing. He faces charges of disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing and harassment
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