Evander Kane met with the media at Rogers Arena on Thursday morning, just over 24 hours after he was traded to his hometown team.
The 33-year-old forward took questions on a variety of topics, and we will highlight the press conference in this article.
Kane began by speaking about what it means to him and his family to return home to Vancouver and play for the team he grew up watching.
“It’s a good opportunity for me and for my family to play at home. Having the Oilers kind of work with me to go to a place that I wanted to be, and I think would fit well for my family was nice of them, and I am just really excited to be a Canuck,” said Kane.
He discussed missing the 2024-25 regular season and how it helped “roll the clock back a bit on his career.”
Kane takes pride in being a player who is hard to play against and joked that it is a compliment to hear that from other players around the league because nobody wants to be known as a player who the opposition enjoys playing against.
“I’ve played that style ever since I was eight years old here in Vancouver. So, nothing is going to change,” said Kane about taking pride in being tough to play against. “Nothing’s really changed when it comes to how I play and what I bring on the ice. I’m very confident in what I can do, and I think Vancouver is going to provide me a really good opportunity to do so.”
He later discussed what it means to him to be a Canuck and spoke about some recent and childhood memories.
“I go back to two years ago. This was probably one of the loudest buildings I’ve ever played in game seven. So, the fan base here is fantastic. They are passionate. They love their hockey. I was a young kid growing up watching Markus Näslund, the Sedins, Todd Bertuzzi, Donald Brashear, and on and on and on, I was cheering for them,” Kane said.
“I have a lot of friends that I grew up with that have always been Canucks fans. I know what hockey means in the city, and I know what the Canucks mean to the people here, so I’m really privileged and honoured to be part of that.”
He closed out by discussing what it means to continue being part of a team that wants to win now, and mentioned a couple of talented Canucks with whom he is excited to be teammates in the near future.
“This ownership group and this management group want to win. They want to win now. Playing against them in the playoffs two years ago, they were one game away, and maybe they’re in the cup final. I don’t think we’re too far off,” said Kane.
“Obviously, you have a superstar defenceman, you have an incredibly talented forward with Elias Pettersson, and those are exciting people that you have the prospect of playing with. So, I’m excited.”
Kane brings his 930 games of NHL experience to the Canucks' lineup and wants to help his hometown team get back to being competitive in the playoffs. His support system is strong, and the father of four is excited for his children to spend more time with their grandparents as he gets the chance to wear the Canucks’ jersey for the first time in his NHL career.
