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.”

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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.

New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe has announced that Devils forward Zack MacEwen will be out for "an extended period of time" after suffering an injury during the club's last matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as reported by The Hockey News' Kristy Flannery. 

In his Devils debut against the Lightning, MacEwen recorded one hit and two shots in 7:12 of ice time.

The Devils acquired MacEwen from the Ottawa Senators earlier this month in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid. This was after MacEwen posted two goals, one assist, three points, 21 penalty minutes, and 49 hits in 21 games this past season with the Senators.

MacEwen being sidelined for a decent amount of time is certainly not ideal for the Devils. They are already dealing with injury trouble elsewhere, and now they have lost another one of their experienced depth forwards with MacEwen out.

In 238 games over eight NHL seasons split between the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Senators, and Devils, MacEwen has recorded 17 goals, 17 assists, 34 points, 323 penalty minutes, and 524 hits.

Just two games into the season, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula has already been benched for his continued struggles.

On Monday, ahead of the team's home opener against the Florida Panthers, the Flyers confirmed that Zamula, 25, was exiting the lineup.

Taking his place will be fellow defenseman Emil Andrae, who didn't make the Flyers out of training camp but had a mostly impressive 2024-25 season in addition to a strong start with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms over the last few days.

The Flyers were wary of including him in the mix due to his 5-foot-9 size, and there's even been some rumors that the team would consider trading Andrae for the right offer, even though they aren't actively looking to do so.

As for Zamula, his benching was, to be blunt, a long time coming.

NHL Waiver Wire: Flyers Should Take a Chance on Recently Cut Sharks DefensemanThe Philadelphia Flyers badly need adequate reinforcements on defense, and what better way to get them than for free from the NHL waiver wire?

Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet already expressed disappointment in the defenseman's game during the NHL preseason, and there has not been much improvement in that regard in the first two games of 2025-26.

This also comes on the heels of some rather inflammatory quotes from Zamula's agent, Shumi Babaev, which indicated that the formerly undrafted Russian hasn't been able to reach his full potential with the Flyers due to a lack of opportunity.

Such opportunities had been afforded by the Flyers in the past during John Tortorella's tenure with the team, especially when it comes to the power play, but those chances paid off only sometimes.

With Adam Ginning and now Andrae overtaking him, it's fair to wonder how much longer the 25-year-old Zamula will remain in Philadelphia with the Flyers, especially considering he's in the last year of a two-year, $3.4 million ($1.7 million AAV) contract that will see him become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of this season.

Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev was named the NHL’s "First Star" on Monday, after opening the season with an offensive explosion.

Dorofeyev, who scored five goals in the team's first three games, paced the NHL in both goals (5) and power-play goals (4) while the Golden Knights opened the season with four points, going 1-0-2.

Dorofeyev opened the season with his third career hat trick, scoring all three goals in the second period, to help Vegas tie the game in their season opener against the Los Angeles Kings, who won 6-5 in a shootout on Oct. 8.

The 24-year-old scored once in both a 4-3 overtime victory at the San Jose Sharks Oct. 9 and then during a 2-1 overtime loss at the Seattle Kraken Oct. 11.

Dorofeyev, a third-round pick (79th overall) from the 2019 NHL Draft, reached career highs in goals (35), assists (17) and points (52) while playing in all 82 games for Vegas last season.

ST. PAUL, Minn - A smiley Danila Yurov sat in his stall after Monday's morning skate next to Kirill Kaprizov as the media swarmed Yurov. It came 20 minutes after Wild head coach confirmed Yurov was making his NHL debut tonight.

"He says a little nervous and he plays so many games in KHL already it should be easy for him to play his game," Kaprizov translated what Yurov said about making his debut tonight. "Just a little nervous but excited and happy to jump in play tonight."

Kaprizov has been a big help for Yurov since he has come here. He can speak English and has even answered some questions in English but he is obviously is more comfortable with Russian. Kaprizov, Yakov Trenin and Vladimir Tarasenko have all been very helpful for Yurov and have made the transition smoother.

"Three days spoke with me that my time is come and I need to be ready for this game," Yurov said in English on how much Kaprizov has helped him. "I just prepare for games, practice and finally this day start."

Yurov, 21, started as a center in training camp. He played a few games there and then towards the end of camp he shifted to the wing and played with Joel Eriksson Ek and Tarasenko. Eventually that spot was grabbed by Marcus Foligno and now Marcus Johansson.

So his NHL debut will come at the center position. Hunter Haight has played the first two games of the season and now Yurov will replace him tonight.

“When you have a younger player coming in playing their first game, it’s just reminding them there’s a reason why they’re here and just play to his identity," Hynes said. "He doesn’t have to overthink. He’s been here, he’s been through training camp, I think he’s a very smart player. He needs to play a fast game.

"I think he knows the importance of faceoffs and the intensity level in the faceoff circle and then probably the biggest adjustment for him is not that he’s not a willing combatant but there’s more puck battles all over the ice and confrontations than there is in the KHL. Be prepared for that and be ready to compete in the hard areas of the ice.”

The Wild selected Yurov with the 24th pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He spent a few years in the KHL and his 49 points during the 23-24 season broke the KHL record for most points in a season as a 20-year-old. That record was previously held by Tarasenko.

"It was nice to play because I used to watch him on tv," Yurov said on playing with Tarasenko before. "He still has skill and it was nice to play together."

Tarasenko has talked about how cool it was that he has played with Yurov and how he broke his record. It has come full circle now and even Tarasenko has invited Yurov over for dinner and has helped him in any way he can.

Yurov will be the second Wild player to make their NHL debut this season. Zeev Buium made his regular season debut after playing four playoff games last year. He is one of five rookies on the Wild's roster. Him and Jesper Wallstedt will be the fourth and fifth rookies this year to play tonight.

Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

Minnesota Wild Vs Columbus Blue Jackets: Analytical RecapST. PAUL, Minn - I have been tracking some stats about the Minnesota Wild that I will now make available to the public. After each game I will have some analytics that I tracked. Most analytical recaps will be after home games but I may post some road ones too.

- Wild Place Nico Sturm On Injured Reserve.

- Wild Sign Kirill Kaprizov To An Eight-Year Contract Extension.

- Wild Claim Defenseman Daemon Hunt Off Waivers.

- Wild Sign Filip Gustavsson To A Five-Year Contract Extension.

- Wild's Mats Zuccarello Out For Two Months With Lower-Body Injury.

Daniil Tarasov will make his Florida Panthers and 2025-26 season debut today against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Panthers are set to embark on a five-game road trip after sweeping a three-game homestand to start the season. Sergei Bobrovsky was in between the pipes for the first three games, posting a .925 save percentage and a 1.68 goals against average.

Tarasov will likely play twice this week, as the Panthers play a back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday and the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. 

The 26-year-old recorded an. 881 SP and 3.55 GAA last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the Panthers are hoping to get the 2023-24 version of Tarasov, who posted a .908 SP and 3.18 GAA. 

The Panthers and Flyers met this season already, with the Panthers defeating the Flyers 2-1 in the second game of the season. Bobrovsky wasn't a busy man in that game, turning 19 of the 20 shots he faced. Anton Lundell opened the scoring in the second period before Noah Cates tied the game later in the frame. Brad Marchand scored early in the third period, and the Panthers locked the game down, allowing just five shots on net in the final stanza. 

The Panthers are hoping for a similar end result, the two points, but are probably hoping for a bigger score line. 

Panthers kick off five-game road trip in Philadelphia against winless FlyersFresh off a strong three-game homestand in which the Florida Panthers collected all six possible points in the standings, the Cats are hitting the pavement for an extended road trip.