The opening of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida was meant to be a spectacle, with the Panthers pulling out all the stops to energize their home crowd. But as the spotlight shone on the ice, it was Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers who stole the show in the most unexpected way.

Returning from a season-long injury, Kane wasted no time making his presence felt—not just with his physical play, but with a bold display during the Panthers’ elaborate warmup ceremony featuring DJ Khaled. In a move that left fans and insiders buzzing, Kane skated around the Oilers’ zone while the introductions were underway, drawing attention away from the Panthers’ carefully choreographed show.

It was a moment that perfectly captured Kane’s reputation for getting under opponents’ skin and seizing the spotlight on hockey’s biggest stage. As the game unfolded, Kane’s antics set the tone for a night full of intensity, drama, and unpredictability—reminding everyone that in the Stanley Cup Final, nothing ever goes entirely according to plan.

Evander Kane with the Edmonton Oilers

Photo credit: Imagn Images

The Florida Panthers tried to put on a slick show to open up the Stanley Cup Final on home ice, but Evander Kane took the chance to disrupt it a bit.

Evander Kane has come back after missing the entire season with injury and hasn’t missed a beat. His physical play has been all over the Panthers, he’s scoring, and getting under their skin.

Evander Kane taunts Oanthers arena during warmup show with DJ Khaled

According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, Evander Kane was seen skating around the ice in the Oilers’ zone while DJ Khaled was introducing both teams. Johnston noted it was the first time he’s ever seen a non-starting player do this.

While the Panthers were trying to pull out all the stops to make their intro next-level, Kane skating around the zone definitely was just to take away from the show.

It was hilarious and characteristic of both the Panthers to hire DJ Khaled for the warmup, and Kane to take the moment to dump on it.

Unfortunately, Kane trying to get the physical and mental mind game edge on the Panthers didn’t really turn out as well as hoped.

Kane was charged with two minor penalties in the first 8 minutes of the game, and the Oilers surrendered the first goal of the game on the powerplay.

Not to say the referees didn’t miss plenty of calls against the Panthers, but Kane can’t take so many penalties.

Hopefully the Oilers can bounce back from the early hole they’ve found themselves in, and Kane can find a way to continue his edgy game while staying out of the penalty box.