SAN JOSE — Evander Kane’s reputation as a problem child caught fire during the 2012-13 NHL lockout when he tweeted a picture of himself on a Las Vegas balcony flashing big stacks of $100 bills. Meanwhile back in his struggling NHL city of Winnipeg, arena staff, restaurant workers and downtown businesses were just trying to make ends meet with hockey on hiatus.
From that bad look splashed all over highlight shows in Canada came more troubling headline fodder: Controversial tweets sent by Kane and accusations of assault — even if no charges were ultimately filed. Some of his Winnipeg teammates had seen enough and pushed for him to be traded after Kane violated the team dress code by wearing a tracksuit to a meeting.