Kane And Cash

I'm not trying to cut up Snoop Dogg Lion's "Gin and Juice". I'm not trying to riff on Tango and Cash. I'm not even looking to make a joke about Kane and Abel. The picture above was what was Evander Kane tweeted out today as he made a joke about boxing with the following:

"Hey @FloydMayweather pick up your phone cause I'm callin#imdifferent @jduppal pic.twitter.com/UZ3GYO4K"

Now, I know that as a 21 year-old I did some stupid stuff. While I never had the available monetary resources like Mr. Kane has, I'm quite certain that my actions were sometimes reprehensible. I learned from these mistakes, though, and I'm not going to hold Evander Kane to a different standard because he's an athlete.

He's still growing and learning as an adult. He's certainly learning all about his actions today as fans hammer him with rage over his apparent flaunting of his riches. Kane did offer an apology to those fans today after being contacted by Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Sun.

“Nothing really surprises me any more,” Kane told Ken Wiebe. “I posted the tweet, reaching out to Floyd as a joke, thinking he would recognize that because he’s done that before. I guess it is what it is and there’s not much I can do about it now. Sometimes people can look at a picture and come up with a thousand different stories.

“I didn’t mean to offend anybody. It was taken, by a bunch of people in the wrong context. Like I said, it was just meant to be a joke and not everybody got it. Some people have a better sense of humour than others.”

The problem with inside jokes are that if you're not on the inside, not many people get the humor. While I will give Kane the benefit of the doubt in this case since his reasoning does make sense. Boxer Floyd Mayweather's nickname is "Money", and he has been caught "flaunting" ridiculous amounts of money in the past.

Kane's learning that fame sometimes can get you in trouble. My hope is that he's taking these lessons and absorbing them so that he doesn't find himself in hot water with fans again. As for the NHLPA and their stance in the lockout, they can deal with Kane as they see fit. But the fans need to remember that's he's still just a kid.

If anything, Evander Kane, remember from where that money is coming. Winnipeg isn't Atlanta. Winnipeg is a blue-collar town that loves its hard-working stars. The 15,000 people that cheer your every goal have worked their rear ends off to afford the luxury to cheer you on, and this type of joke doesn't go over too well on them when they don't understand the punchline. Work hard, play hard, but don't show up the city or the fans that made you rich.

Evander Kane will be fine as long as he comes back and has another great season. If he plays like did in the KHL, though, the catcalls will be plentiful for what has happened while he wasn't wearing Jets' colours.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!