Evander Kane - Early Life

Early Life

Kane was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on August 2, 1991, to Perry and Sheri Kane, who named him after American boxer Evander Holyfield (he later met Holyfield at age 18). Kane has two sisters, Brea and Kyla, who are two and four years younger, respectively.

Coming from an athletic lineage, his father was an amateur boxer and hockey player. He played with the Cole Harbour Scotia Colts and Dartmouth Arrows of the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League (MVJHL) in Nova Scotia, as well as with St. Francis Xavier University. Kane's mother was a professional volleyball player. His uncle, Leonard Kane, is a member of the Canadian Ball Hockey Hall of Fame. Kane's cousin, Dwayne Provo, played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for seven years and spent one season with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Another cousin, Kirk Johnson, boxed for Canada at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and later fought John Ruiz for the 2002 World Boxing Association (WBA) Heavyweight title.

Growing up in East Vancouver, Kane attended high school at John Oliver Secondary. In addition to hockey, he played baseball, basketball and soccer growing up. After beginning to skate at the age of three, he began playing minor hockey at eight. His father instructed him in his early years and initially wanted to keep him out of organized hockey until Kane was ten. At fourteen-years-old, Kane recorded 140 points in 66 games with the bantam North Shore Winter Club, followed by a 22-goal, 54-point campaign to finish fourth in league scoring with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the BC Hockey Major Midget League (BCMML). Kane also played minor hockey with the Vancouver Thunderbirds, prior to bantam and midget.