Evander Kane is ready to put yet another incident behind him.
The Buffalo Sabres forward was suspended by the team for tonight’s matchup against the Ottawa Senators after Kane overslept and missed practice yesterday. The reason he slept in? He was busy partying at NBA All-Star festivities in Toronto.
“If you watch me play on the ice, I do take hockey seriously,” Kane told reporters in Ottawa Tuesday. “I think I can take it more seriously, and I think going forward you are going to see that out of myself. I spoke to members of the organization, and we all are on the same page moving forward. I’m happy with that, and I’m looking forward to putting this behind me and getting back on the ice.”
He’s saying the right thing here, but he’s not helping his reputation. Kane, who’s routinely criticized by the media, was traded from Winnipeg after an incident with his teammates last year. He’s also currently under investigation for an alleged sexual assault incident.
The frustrating part of Kane’s lack of caring is he’s an immensely talented hockey player, who should really know better. He’s got 16 goals and 26 points in 49 games with the Sabres this year and is still just 24-years-old. He shouldn’t need to be told to take the game more seriously, as he’s making millions to play a sport. If he was a rookie, it wouldn’t be such a big deal if it was his first error, but this isn’t the first incident involving Kane. It’s time for him to grow up.
