NHL star left out of squad, could face 5yr jail term over claims he faked Covid ID – amid investigation into alleged abuse of wife

Hockey ace Evander Kane has been dropped by his team and could face criminal charges after reportedly faking a card to show he had been vaccinated – and the NHL is continuing to investigate abuse allegations by his estranged wife.

The San Jose Sharks have announced that they have dropped winger Kane from their roster "pending completion of the NHL's investigation" amid multiple reports that hockey bosses are looking into the alleged false card, which would be illegal in the US and Canada.

Top scorer for the Sharks last term, Kane hasn't taken part in their training camp since "additional allegations" were announced on September 22, although Kane was cleared of gambling on games. 

Falsifying vaccination status can carry a jail term of up to five years in the US.

Kane's former partner, Anna, made the gambling allegations in an Instagram post, and documents obtained by Front Office Sports have shown that she has made numerous accusations of abuse against the 30-year-old in a domestic violence restraining order application filed as part of her divorce case.

AJ Perez, a reporter for the outlet, has publicly shared a number of disturbing purported documents from the application, including an allegation that Kane forced her to perform oral sex on him shortly after they had returned from a funeral following the death of their daughter almost immediately after she was delivered in hospital at 28 weeks.

The documents show that Kane claims the player called her a "pathetic loser and stupid b*tch", then told her that "you can't rape your wife" when he allegedly forced her to have sex with him against her will again while she was still healing from her hospitalization.

Perez added that there is no criminal investigation and that the case is being presented in a family court as part of divorce proceedings, adding that Kane filed for a restraining order against Anna in August because he said she assaulted him multiple times.

The papers also appear to reveal allegations that Kane "lost almost $1 million" gambling when the Sharks played the Vegas Golden Knights in the playoffs in 2019, and claims that he assaulted Anna after one of those games.

Anna also alleges that Kane tried to punch her in the face, only to strike their daughter.

Kane listed $1.5 million in gambling losses in bankruptcy filings in January, and Perez says that his sources indicate those are related to poker.

"Evander denies ever abusing Ms Kane or their daughter, Kensington, whom he cherishes," Kane's lawyer told the outlet in a statement.

"She has falsely accused him of betting on and throwing games, prompting an investigation by the NHL. We are confident he will be cleared.”

The team kick off their campaign against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic that he expected more news to be announced on Kane "relatively soon" and "in the near future, for sure."

The Sharks are likely to try to blood some of their younger players to make up for the goals they will miss while the Canadian is sidelined.

Kane has four seasons remaining on a $49 million, seven-year contract with the team.