Sharks' Evander Kane working on EK9 clothing line while NHL is paused

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Evander Kane hasn’t had a great grasp on time ever since the NHL suspended its season on March 12 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“You know it has only been two weeks,” Kane recently said in a video chat from his home. “And for me personally it feels like it has been two months.”

The Sharks' power forward has been sheltering in place like all of his neighbors, spending unprecedented time with his wife and their dog.

“It’s good, it’s definitely a change,” Kane described. “Obviously through the course of an NHL season, you’re on the road quite a bit. This is the most time I’ve spent at home in a number of years.”

A common sentiment across athletes of all leagues right now is that they miss the ability to entertain. Sure, every player’s first objective is to win. But their true motivation is what they give the fans. Kane is doing what’s possible by staying ever-present on social platforms like Instagram.

“As an athlete you try to entertain, try to ‘give the people what they want’,” Kane said. “You try to get creative, I’m trying to figure out different ways to take advantage of the time at home.”

For someone who actually looks forward to grocery shopping because it’s “an excuse to leave the house,” it has been a big adjustment for Kane. He also realizes this is the perfect opportunity to work on his upcoming “EK9” line of apparel.

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“It’s actually a great time for me to put some effort into it now, which I’m doing,” Kane explained. “If all goes well, I hope to have it out late summer, sometime in August.”

The clothing line has been on Kane’s radar for years, but the stars finally aligned with a San Jose-based designer.

“It’s part of building my brand, reaching other audiences and doing something outside of hockey,” Kane shared. “We’re going to figure out some cool ways to give back to the community, hopefully change some lives. Just try to attack it as many positive ways as possible.”

[RELATED: Need a home workout? Use Sharks rookie Mario Ferraro's]

As for his usual day job, Kane is taking the present time to allow his body to rest and recover. Because he, like so many others in the business, has absolutely zero idea what lies ahead.

“The entire world is going through this in so many different ways," Kane said. "For us as hockey players, we’re just trying to figure out what our lives are going to look like through these next couple months.”

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