Evander Kane and the NHL's Culture of Bullshit

The City of Winnipeg isn't known as a hotbed of dramatics. Sitting squarely between larger Toronto and Vancouver, Winnipeg manages to avoid the turbulence of both. The same goes for its NHL team, the Jets, who since returning to existence in 2011, have been quietly lousy. But times are changing. The Jets are in the thick of the playoff hunt, and now their fans are getting a taste of the soap opera madness that has been known to take hold in other Canadian hockey cities.

Twenty-three-year-old right-winger Evander Kane was placed on Injured Reserve by the team on Thursday, only hours after Sportsnet's Chris Johnston broke a story outlining how Kane refused to show up for a game against his hometown Vancouver Canucks the evening before.

Kane had previously been listed as a healthy scratch due to a prior round of drama—he reportedly broke the team's dress code by showing up for a meeting in a tracksuit, instead of a dress suit. Teammate Dustin Byfuglien then threw Kane's tracksuit in the shower, in what may have been a prank or punishment for his lack of professionalism. When questioned by reporters, Byfuglien spoke repeatedly and somewhat robotically about the "job to do."

Kane is a lightning rod for criticism, dating back to some photos he posted on Instagram of his money phone and him doing pushups with stacks of cash on his back.

It's unfortunate that Kane's photos would draw criticism, given how desperately the NHL is always trying to expand its base, but that's hockey for you. Kane now finds himself in the middle of a metaphoric struggle between the league's desire to draw in more fans on the backs of star personalities, and the game's staunch traditionalist element—one that would label Kane's deviation from the prescribed and bland brand of Gretzky-an politeness as an act of treason.

This makes for an odd situation since the NHL celebrates some eccentric personalities but suppresses others—Kane's personal brand of eccentricity coming under such fire makes no sense in particular. Shouldn't a team in a small market such as Winnipeg celebrate a diversity of personality and talent? Isn't cultural and stylistic diversity a good thing for a game that doesn't get enough attention and is often lambasted for being too monochromatic compared to its counterparts?

For every player that fits the "classy," team-first mentality the aging hockey population celebrates, the hockey world must accept that there will be others whose on the ice and off reflects something else—and that's okay. Just saying the right things at a press conference doesn't make you a good person or a better player. Taking silly Instagram photos doesn't make you a worse one. Too much stoicism is boring. Ask Alex Ovechkin, Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane, or Roberto Luongo.

Players with big personalities are vital to the league's growth, even if they aren't major superstars. The league seems to be aware of this, at least judging by its participation in shows like HBO's 24/7 and the new Epix Road to the NHL Stadium Series. If hockey fans crave behind the scenes access, Kane's off-ice turmoil is part and parcel.

And if Kane did indeed show up to a meeting in a tracksuit, then the team is certainly justified doling out punishment according to a defined set of rules. However, the matter should have ended there, not lingered unexplained. Instead, a soap opera has played out in the press. Meanwhile, the team-first culture of hockey has neatly put its own contradictions on the table.

Jets coach Paul Maurice has not protected his player, hardly a team-first act. Nor has he been forthright in punishing him. The torch for that fell, ironically, to Byfuglien, a man who has his own tumultuous history with the media. Byfuglien has always marched to the beat of his own drum. In September 2011, he was charged with boating while intoxicated. When photos of Byfuglien looking rather portly surfaced a year later, his contract with Winnipeg was questioned. But Byfuglien is enjoying a strong season, and for that he is allowed the role of disciplinarian in this drama.

Evander Kane, meanwhile, is still only 23 years old. He's still talented. He may need guidance, but he also needs to understand that the NHL will let him have a personality. That could come soon, or it could come next season. It could happen in Winnipeg, or it could happen somewhere else.