When Evander Kane blew a savage kiss to Golden Knights fan giving him the middle finger

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane returned to the lineup at the right time after missing the entire regular season. He underwent a hip and knee injury for which he had to go through several surgeries. His presence in the lineup was clearly seen in the first round against the LA Kings, which the Oilers won 4-2 to advance to Round 2.

Now, Kane will help his team face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Kane will be playing an essential role as an enforcer while providing offensive depth. Kane's personality sometimes comes out during games, and this was on full display back in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights.

During Game 2, the Oilers beat the Golden Knights 5-1 to tie the series 1-1. In the second period, emotions ran high. Brett Kulak dropped the gloves with Brett Howden. At the other end, Evander Kane got into a fight with Keegan Kolesar. Kane landed a few punches while Kolesar was on the ice. He also put him in a headlock before officials broke it up.

As Kane skated away, a Vegas fan near the glass flipped him off with both hands. Kane looked at her and responded by blowing her a kiss. The moment was caught on camera and it went viral online.

The Edmonton Oilers’ social media team also posted Evander Kane's photo later, but with a minor twist. They covered the fan’s gesture with the final score: 5-1.

Evander Kane and the Edmonton Oilers later lost that series to the Vegas Golden Knights. Edmonton won two games in that series and lost four, including Game 6 at home arena, Rogers Place.

Vegas finished first in the Pacific Division and went on to defeat the Stars in the playoffs. The Knights then won their first Stanley Cup in team history after joining the league in 2017. They won the cup via a 9-3 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 5.

The kiss from Kane was a deja vu moment for fans because it had happened earlier in the same playoffs. Seattle Kraken forward Brandon Tanev also blew a kiss to a fan during a game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Here's a glimpse of the Brandon Tanev moment from April 2023:

Oilers' Evander Kane discussed the fiery 5-1 win over Golden Knights

The game itself was a fiery one, and Evander Kane totalled 14 penalty minutes. He spoke to the media after the match and was pleased with the performance and the fire the Oilers displayed:

“You don’t see a lot of guys getting jumped from behind and head-locked. When you want to f— around, sometimes you gotta find out. We get up 5-0 and we know they’re going to try and run around and cause s—. Get involved in the game somehow. I thought we did a great job answering there.

"I thought we did a great job of staying disciplined, we stuck up for each other when we had to."

Edmonton now looks to get past the Golden Knights in Round 2, with the team looking to end its Stanley Cup drought, which dates back to 1990.