Evander Kane: "I asked for a trade every offseason in Winnipeg"

[sureLoss]

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/i-...-evander-kane/

Kane made that and dropped a couple of other pearls, not the least of which was he wanted out of Winnipeg almost as quickly as he arrived there. “Yeah, I asked for a trade every off-season in Winnipeg,” Kane told THN.

Despite both Kane and the Jets insisting there had been no trade requests in the off-season, Kane claims he asked for a trade as early as the summer of 2012 when he was coming off a 30-goal season. He asked again in the summer of 2013 and ’14, a request that was finally granted when he was dealt to the Sabres last February in a blockbuster trade that saw Zach Bogosian join him in Buffalo in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, two prospects and a first-round draft pick.

Kane acknowledged it was never a good fit in Winnipeg, saying that rumors there got wildly out of control. He does admit he probably didn’t help things with some of his ventures into social media, specifically posing for a picture during the lockout with a wad of bills to his ear, but said there are things players have done a lot worse that have gone without the same sort of scrutiny and criticism.

“There are a lot of guys I could point to that everybody knows publicly who have done a lot worse or been accused of doing a lot worse things than I have,” Kane told THN, “but they don’t look like me. They don’t look like me.”

[CroFlames]

Won't be shocked when the same story gets leaked about McDavid in 3 years.

[saXon]

In other news, grass is green and the sky is blue. And the Oilers are no good.

[SofaProfessor]

I don't blame him. I would have asked for a trade out of Winnipeg within 4 milliseconds of finding out I was going to have to live and play there.

And I also believe all his social media stuff was blown way out of proportion. Was it kind of tone deaf during a lockout where it was millionaires vs billionaires? Sure. But it wasn't worth the coverage it got.

[Da_Chief]

Why did he sign an extension in Winnipeg?

[KootenayFlamesFan]

'They don't look like me'

If he thinks that's really the reason he received so much flak he's a bigger dufus than I already thought.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

'They don't look like me'

If he thinks that's really the reason he received so much flak he's a bigger dufus than I already thought.

Kane loves to show the race card, even if he doesn't outright play it.

The thing of it is, if you go out of your way to appear different, people will treat you differently. It happens to Subban. It happened to Avery. It even happens to Ovechkin at times.

Meanwhile, the humble, down to earth guys are revered - Iginla, Sakic, Yzerman, etc.

Kane's issues will always primarily originate from his own attitude more than anything else. If he wants to be his own man, that's cool. But he needs to accept the baggage that comes with it.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Why did he sign an extension in Winnipeg?

Phat stacks

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Why did he sign an extension in Winnipeg?

Restricted Free Agency.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

'They don't look like me'

If he thinks that's really the reason he received so much flak he's a bigger dufus than I already thought.

I don't think he is 100% wrong...some of the responses he would get on twitter/instagram played into that. The typical scum of the internet types of posts, and if he did what Kane or Voynov did he would have gotten it even worse from that crowd on social media.

Plus depending on the context of that quote I don't think it meant it as it being strictly because he was black but more because he embraced the "rap star" type of persona, and wanted to be a part of that sub-culture.

That is part of "how he looked" and he got criticized for it. Any NBA player dresses or acts the same way and don't get criticized for it but with NHL locker room culture it sounds like it may have became an issue.

He deserved a lot the blame due to his own behavior, but we don't know exactly why he felt alienated in the dressing room, and what else was going on behind the scenes.

[442scotty]

Originally Posted by SofaProfessor

I don't blame him. I would have asked for a trade out of Winnipeg within 4 milliseconds of finding out I was going to have to live and play there.

And I also believe all his social media stuff was blown way out of proportion. Was it kind of tone deaf during a lockout where it was millionaires vs billionaires? Sure. But it wasn't worth the coverage it got.

I think there are a lot worse places to live and play hockey

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Kane loves to show the race card, even if he doesn't outright play it.

The thing of it is, if you go out of your way to appear different, people will treat you differently. It happens to Subban. It happened to Avery. It even happens to Ovechkin at times...

But haven't both Subban and Ovechkin really overcome their public persona to become dramatically more likeable? In the last couple of years these two have embraced the media and worked it to their advantage; something that Kane has never even tried to do.

[Vinny01]

I think if there wasn't the lockout he would have done what Dougie did and try and force a trade. Having said that the only reason Dougie was able to pull that off was due to Bostons cap situation.

I guess he guaranteed the money and term and knew he would get moved. I am glad the Jets shipped him to Buffalo which is considered a dump by many.

[Textcritic]

As for Kane's trade demands, I always just assumed that this was an annual rite of passage thing for all hockey players in Winnipeg.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

But haven't both Subban and Ovechkin really overcome their public persona to become dramatically more likeable? In the last couple of years these two have embraced the media and worked it to their advantage; something that Kane has never even tried to do.

It does when they are having success, and their teams are winning.

The second their teams falter though it tends to start creeping out again, and the same tired cliches about them come out of the wood works.

Hockey culture and hockey media love to make sure that players don't show any type of unique personality or charisma. It's why the hockey media covering the Blue Jays were all over them for their celebrations, when it is pretty much part of baseball culture.

[Jets4Life]

Playing the race card again. How classy.

Nice to see him try and throw Paul Maurice and the Jets under the bus:

Kane repeated his charge that the team and his teammates "didn’t have his back."

"I was playing with a separated shoulder for a year and a half," Kane said. "I had a broken ankle and a broken hand all at the same time. It wasn’t me telling myself I had a torn labrum. It was the team doctor on the Winnipeg Jets telling me, ‘You need surgery, and that’s the only way you’re going to get fixed. You have a broken ankle. You have a broken hand. I’m sacrificing my body playing through pain, doing everything I can to help that team win with the feeling knowing guys don’t have my back. I feel the organization doesn’t have my back, and you feel unappreciated."

Maurice took the high road, as per usual:


"I’m sorry he felt that way," Maurice said. "I certainly appreciated him. He did play with a lot of injuries. But if you can find me a player I’ve ever coached where I came out and said, ‘Boy this guy’s playing with a broken ankle and I really appreciate it,’ I’ve never said that. I’d never talk about a guy’s injury.

"We’ve got guys that played with that. And Evander played hurt. He had a torn labrum and played a year on it. That was his choice to have surgery or not. But he played on it. That’s a lot of pain. He played through an awful lot of pain and we really appreciated it. But I’m not coming out here and giving you a list of injuries of guys that are playing with them, because they’re playing with them.

"There’s no sense drawing targets on backs. I’m sorry he felt that way. I certainly appreciated him playing through those injuries."

When you act like a prima-donna, it's only a matter of time before history repeats itself in Buffalo.

See: Heatley, Dany.

[Jordan!]

Originally Posted by 442scotty

I think there are a lot worse places to live and play hockey

Name one place

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by 442scotty

I think there are a lot worse places to live and play hockey

Not in North America.

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

Name one place

Edmonton.

[Stupid]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

Name one place

Beaten to the punch by J4L