Vancouver Canuck Evander Kane says he is ‘humbled' and ready to be a leader
Wearing a suit of Vancouver Canucks colours, new player Evander Kane held his first press conference on Thursday.
Kane, 33, was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday and he said he is excited to be home.
'I actually had this in my closet,' Kane said of his blue and green patterned suit.
'And when I was planning on coming here, I wasn't planning on packing it. But, you know, I said I got to wear this for the interview, so it worked out well.'
Kane said he is excited to bring his unique style of playing to the Vancouver Canucks, which he said is a hard-working team.
'Looking forward to getting to know everybody and getting integrated with the group,' he said.
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And the B.C. native acknowledged it is going to be easier having his family around to help out with his four kids.
'They're really excited to get to spend some more time with grandma and grandpa,' he said.
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'I know it was fortunate that we were in Edmonton so we weren't too far away so they were able to see them more often than they would have been if we were playing elsewhere, but to be able to come back home and have some family and friends around with having four kids definitely makes it a little easier on myself, so that'll be fun for them.'
The Edmonton Oilers said they traded Kane to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Vancouver's fourth round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft (117th overall).
Kane said his time with the Oilers was great.
'Edmonton brought me into their organization… embraced me and the city kind of fell in love with me and I kind of fell in love with the city and we had a lot of on-ice success as well,' he said.
'So it was a great experience, and I'm hoping that can continue here in Vancouver, coming back home.'
Kane admitted there have been some difficult times in his career but those experiences have humbled him and he has emerged on the other side 'better off and better for it.'
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1:42
Evander Kane's rehab from injury going better than expected
Kane said that as he enters his 17th year playing hockey, he's looking forward to being someone who younger players can look up to.
'When you go through different things on and off the ice, you can lend those lessons to some of the younger guys and some other guys that are maybe struggling with things,' he said.
'Just being mentally tough, especially in a Canadian market, can be important and it can be difficult when you're not used to it. So I think leadership is something that I've always tried to do and lead by example, especially on the ice. And I think that's gonna be important moving forward as well.'
— with files from Karen Bartko
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