Oilers' Corey Perry addresses heated exchange with teammate Evander Kane

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Apr 08, 2024 19:26 GMT

Teammates Corey Perry and Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers recently grabbed attention for a heated exchange during a game. Now, Perry has stepped forward to address speculation about their differences as it was running wild on the internet. He offered clarity on the situation to which Kane had to agree.

NHL insider Jason Gregor quoted Perry in a tweet, where the veteran forward said:

"It happens. Brothers fight and argue. We are trying to make each other better. We talked about it after, apologize and move on. It happens in the room often, it just happened that the camera showed it."

Furthermore, Gregor shared Evander Kane's perspective on the matter, saying:

"We’re fine. We are partners in the Masters pool."

Gregor also expressed surprise at how some individuals attempted to blow the interaction out of proportion. He tweeted:

"I think way too many people have tried to make Kane and Perry’s interaction more than it was. Teammates, co-workers, friends, family all argue at times. I’m stunned how many people try to make into more."

Kevin Bieksa discussed the Corey Perry and Evander Kane argument

The incident in question occurred during Saturday's game against the Calgary Flames, during which emotions were running high on the Oilers' bench. Corey Perry's visible frustration was captured by the camera as he slammed the gate to the bench.

Then Perry engaged in a passionate conversation with Kane with aggression and pointing of hands. It caught the attention of observers, including the panel on Sportsnet.

Kevin Bieksa, a former teammate of Perry, provided insights into the nature of the conversation while discussing it with Elliotte Friedman and other broadcast commentators.

“You can tell this is a team that’s thinking about the playoffs and how they’re going to play and thinking about high percentage," Bieksa said. ... "And you can see Perry, obviously we’re speculating, but I’m thinking he’s saying, ‘Hey, keep this puck down low. There’s nobody there.'

"I can tell you from playing with Perry, he doesn’t do this very often. He doesn’t yell at teammate. He doesn’t get this fired up on the bench. He’s usually in his own little world. So it takes a lot, but this is a team, they care about how they play.”

Bieksa suggested that it likely revolved around a specific play on the ice. Bieksa mentioned that Kane may have chosen to shoot the puck on the net instead of continuing to cycle it behind the goal line, resulting in a turnover.