As Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers and Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers went toe-to-toe in the Stanley Cup final last spring, it was learned the two players’ fathers had been junior-hockey teammates in Nova Scotia with the Dartmouth Arrows back in 1981.
It was news to the public and to Evander, even though he’s a chip off the old block. Perry Kane has been a driving force in his son’s hockey career, and in his younger days, he was a speedy winger with good hands and a tough edge, which carried over to the boxing ring. The family’s bloodline also includes Evander’s cousin Kirk Johnson, who boxed for Canada at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and once challenged for the WBA heavyweight title.
When it came time for Perry to name his first child in 1991, his inspiration was the reigning world heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield. “When I got drafted by Atlanta as a 17-year-old, Holyfield lived in Atlanta,” Kane said. “They brought him out to a morning skate one time, so I was able to meet him, and my dad was able to meet him.”
Fifteen years before Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini turned Vancouver into a youth-hockey mecca as back-to-back No. 1 draft picks, Kane was one of the brightest talents to emerge from the region.
Selected fourth overall by the Thrashers in 2009, Kane began his glittering junior career in his hometown when he made history as the youngest player ever to skate in a Memorial Cup. “When I got drafted by the Giants, I was actually a little disappointed because I wanted to go away,” Kane said. “My dad heard on the radio that I had been drafted. I was happy, but he looked at me, and he’s like, ‘Well, you better get to work now. You have an opportunity to play in the Memorial Cup as a 15-year-old.’ ”
That had never happened before, and with the Giants hosting the 2007 Memorial Cup at the Pacific Coliseum, a berth in the tournament was guaranteed. After eight regular-season games, coach Don Hay put Kane into five WHL playoff games, including Vancouver’s Game 7 double-OT loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL final. “Earning Hay’s trust at the time was really cool,” he said.
For the start of the Memorial Cup, Kane was back on the sidelines. But Hay brought him back for two crucial games, including Vancouver’s 3-1 revenge win over the Tigers that won it all. “I was really excited and hungry to get into the lineup and try to perform,” Kane said. “What a start to my junior career.”
After making the Thrashers as an 18-year-old and playing 930 NHL games, Kane joined the Vancouver Canucks this summer following a trade from Edmonton. Fourteen years after the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, Kane and Zach Bogosian are the last two active players to have played with Atlanta.
At 34, Kane now has four children of his own, all under the age of six.
In the eyes of Vancouver’s new coach, Adam Foote, Kane will bring an edge and a veteran presence, including 68 games of playoff experience with the Oilers the past four seasons. “I love his grit,” Foote said. “He’s hard to play against. We needed some of that sandpaper.”
Kane has a competitive fire that drives him to get under opponents’ skin every time he steps on the ice. That intensity was on full display in Edmonton’s seven-game battle against Vancouver in the second round of the 2024 playoffs. But as we often see in hockey, foes can become fast friends when allegiances change. “A guy I probably would have hated the most coming onto this team is Conor Garland,” Kane said. “I think he’d probably say the same, but we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well over training camp, and I think we’ve both enjoyed each other’s company. You find yourself on the golf course with each other, and next thing you know, it’s all good to go.”
After the Canucks stumbled to a playoff miss last season, Kane’s truculence and experience will add a fresh dimension to a dressing room that was fractured. With a beefed-up defense and a strong goaltending duo that includes a healthy Thatcher Demko, the returning players are aiming for a bounce-back campaign.
Kane heads into his first year in Vancouver sitting fifth among active players with 1,186 penalty minutes – 71 ahead of sixth-place Marchand. But he also brings nine 20-goal seasons, including two years with 30 goals.
After the Canucks finished last season in the bottom 10 in goal scoring and second-last with just 25.5 shots per game, his offensive prowess should make him a fixture in Vancouver’s top six and on the power play. “The hardest thing to do in the NHL is score goals,” Kane said. “Each and every time we step on the ice, I try to impact the game in different ways – physicality, emotion, skating, goal-scoring, whatever it may be. I have the ability to bring all that.”
He’s 70 games away from 1,000, but Kane is feeling healthy and re-energized after missing the entire 2024-25 regular season while rehabbing from surgeries to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias, two lower abdominal muscles and a knee issue.
Kane looked rejuvenated when he rejoined the Oilers for their second consecutive run to the Stanley Cup final, contributing 12 points in 21 games while averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time.
In a sport where humility and conformity are often the norm, Kane has never been afraid to stand out – whether that’s with the luxury sports cars he drives or the wardrobes that stack up favorably against the fashion-forward stars in other sports.
With the NHL’s relaxed dress-code rules kicking in this season, expect Kane’s walk-ins at Rogers Arena to be appointment viewing. “I’m going to come in looking like I’m homeless one night, then I’ll look like I’m a billionaire,” he said. “Keep people guessing.”
This article appeared in our 2025 Goalie issue. The cover story for this issue features back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner and Winnipeg Jet, Connor Hellebuyck. We also include features on Mammoth’s goaltender Karel Vejmelka, the ranking of goaltending duos and more. In addition, we take a look at the ‘goaltending future’ from each NHL division.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
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