The NHL has concluded that rape allegations made against Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane were “unfounded” after completing its own review of the case.

The league issued a statement Wednesday saying it considers the matter “closed.”

Kane met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday in New York City for what the league called the “final stage” of its review.

The NHL cited the decision by prosecutors not to pursue charges against Kane as a factor in its determination.

Prosecutors dropped their investigation of Kane in November, citing a lack of credible evidence in a case “rife with reasonable doubt” and said the accuser no longer wanted to co-operate.

New York’s Erie County district attorney Frank Sedita said a three-month investigation found that physical and forensic evidence “tend to contradict” the complainant’s claim that she was raped last Aug. 2 at Kane’s off-season home outside Buffalo.

The case dominated headlines in Buffalo and Chicago for weeks during the summer and fall. At 27, Kane is one of the NHL’s top young stars and he has won three Stanley Cup championships in Chicago over the past six years, including last season.

Kane had been in trouble before, arrested after an altercation with a cab driver in Buffalo in the summer of 2009, and photos of him partying are easily found online. But the assault case was by far the most serious allegation Kane had faced.

Article Written By: Bruce Bennett