NHL Fans Split on Evander Kane’s Body-Blow Barrage to Kolesar

Late in the second period of the Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights game on Saturday, Evander Kane was assessed a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct for his body blows and scrum with Keegan Kolesar of the Vegas Golden Knights. In a game that was heavily titled towards the Oilers after the first period, the Golden Knights refused to go down quietly, stirring the pot physically, with Kane and other Oilers more than willing to answer the bell.

In a post-game media scrum, Kane was asked about the altercation and his repeated shots to the body of a prone opponent and noted, “If you want to f — around, sometimes you’re going to find out.”

Since the game, the hockey world seems to be split on what should happen to Kane. Many are calling for the NHL to step in and offer up some supplemental discipline. Media scribes like Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff wrote, “Evander Kane’s body punch attack on Kolesar was…something. Might go beyond just being “part of a fight.” I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear from the league about it. We’ll see.” However, he was quickly bombarded by other fans (most likely a heavy percentage of Oilers fans) who thought it was more than fair after Kolesar grabbed Kane from behind and instigated the action. Kolesar is no stranger to controversy himself, having been a player with a history of hitting people while they’re down. Even Larkin’s own Daily Faceoff co-workers jumped on him for thinking this would be something the NHL would crack down on.