He's named for a championship boxer, but so far, Evander Kane hasn't adopted Evander Holyfield's nickname.
However, a few months into a promising NHL career it would be fair to say the Atlanta Thrashers rookie forward is the Real Deal.
"I don't think anybody can give themselves a nickname," the 18-year-old said prior to the Thrashers playing the Calgary Flames last night at the Saddledome.
"Whatever anyone wants to call me, that's fine."
The Thrashers selected the Vancouver native with the fourth-overall pick in this summer's NHL Entry Draft, and he made the team out of training camp.
Despite being scratched last night, Kane has eight goals in 27 games for the surprising Thrashers and his coach hardly feels the freshman is out of place.
"He's done a wonderful job," said bench boss John Anderson.
"He's going to be an all-star in this league. He still makes some young mistakes, but he's sound defensively and he can fly. He will be a big part of our organization for years to come."
Being in the Eastern Conference, the Thrashers don't venture through these parts often, but Kane gets to make a homecoming in Vancouver tonight just a couple months into his NHL career.
His former junior team, the Vancouver Giants, have purchased a block of tickets, and it seems the Thrashers realized this is an important moment by letting Kane rest up for the outing.
"It's going to be a big game for him," Anderson said. "He struggled in Toronto (Monday) a bit, and there was some big pressure on him there.
"When he gets to Vancouver, he's going to get a ton of ice time.
"We're excited about him going there, and we know his parents are excited to see him."
Kane's father, Perry, was an amateur boxer and hockey player, but Evander said it was his mother Sherri who picked out his name.
Both Evander's father and grandfather were big Holyfield fans. Perry Kane still instructs boxing and Evander works out in the ring during the off-season.
"It's honestly the toughest training sessions I have," Kane said.
"It's two hours, and there are so many different exercises and things you have to do. I hate going, but it's good to keep you in shape."
Don't expect Kane to drop the gloves on the ice too much, although he never shied away from rough stuff in the WHL and has one fighting major this season.
He prefers to put the puck in the net, and that was evident with his 48 goals in 61 WHL games last season.
"I'm not a fighter," the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder said.
"I like to score goals. I'm known as a goal scorer, so that's what I want to continue to do at this level."
Kane was a big part of the World Junior team that won in Ottawa in January, but he won't be going for a second straight gold, despite being eligible.
"The NHL is where I want to be," Kane said.
"The world junior tournament is great but I'm happy where I am.
"The experience sure helped going into the second half of the WHL season. It gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities.
"I brought a strong mentality back to my team. Obviously, being part of it in Canada and winning gold in front of those fans was a great experience for me."
ian.busby@sunmedia.ca
