The Sharks won’t be part of the NHL’s modified Stanley Cup Playoff format, but that doesn’t mean Vegas Golden Knights winger Ryan Reaves has forgotten about his infamous rivalry with Sharks winger Evander Kane.
Kane referred to Reaves as the “Muffin Man” following a fight between the two in Game 3 of the 2019 first-round playoff series between the Sharks and Golden Knights, so Reaves wore a mask featuring the baked goods as Vegas arrived in Edmonton, one of the NHL’s hub cities for the postseason.
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In his postgame comments following that Game 3 scrap, Kane ripped into Reaves and questioned his toughness.
"For the so-called toughest guy in the league, I don't think he landed a punch," Kane said between Games 3 and 4. "At times, I thought I was fighting the Muffin Man. Didn't expect that, I expected a lot more of a battle. I was able to handle him. I think he lost a bit of his allure in terms of toughness."
Kane recently was named a co-head of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, and Reaves said he wants to put their beef aside as they both work to combat racial inequalities in the NHL and the sport overall.
“I spoke to Evander and told him I want to jump in on this powerful message,” Reaves said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Ed Graney. “We have to put aside our differences on the ice and come together for a much bigger cause.
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“You definitely have to understand what your beliefs are and where you stand. At the same time, I do kind of toe both lines because I have had great experience with cops. I’m also very aware of what’s going on around the United States.
“A lot of it stems from undertrained ignorance that every police force seems to have some -- 1, 2, 3, 4 cops -- whatever the number is. The thing is not to let those bad apples trickle through an entire force.”
[RELATED: Kane discusses NHL's 'Hockey is for Everyone' movement]
While the bad blood on the ice likely hasn’t gone anywhere between Reaves and Kane, at least the two can come together on important societal issues.
But Reaves clearly isn’t going to miss an opportunity to troll his one-time sparring partner.