Nazem Kadri’s wife shares racist messages family has received
Nazem Kadri’s family was the target of racist threats on social media, according to his wife Ashley, who shared some of the messages after Kadri and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference series.
Kadri, who is of Lebanese decent, collided with Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington in Game 3, which led to Binnington being ruled out for the rest of the series with a lower-body injury.
“Great game tonight, very proud of Nazem. But I want to shine light on what the last 48 hours has looked like for us as a family,” Kadri’s wife wrote over screengrabs of messages from apparent Blues fans.
The messages included derogatory comments about Kadri’s Muslim faith.
Kadri’s wife said the messages she shared are “just a small example” and there were “many more” similar messages.
“This behavior doesn’t belong in sports, or anywhere. If you are not condemning racism, then you are tolerating it,” she wrote. “Praying for the world to be a better place with more love and less hate.”
Kadri’s wife, whose Instagram account is private, shared the messages in an Instagram story post from a separate account she runs for the couple’s cat, Jazzy Kadri.
The Avalanche were working with St. Louis law enforcement after their Game 3 victory on Saturday regarding “threats made” toward Kadri.
Kadri was booed every time he touched the puck in Game 4 at St. Louis, where there was heightened police presence due to the situation. The NHL told the AP on Monday that it is working with the St. Louis Police Department to implement enhanced security at the arena and in the team hotel.
“I know that they’re booing me and whatnot, but that’s what being a fan is,” Kadri said. “As a home team and a home player, you want the fans on your side and heckling the other team, as long as it’s within the guidelines. I’ve got no issues with that and I know what was said isn’t a reflection on every single fan in St. Louis. I understand that and I want to make that clear. But for those that wasted their time sending messages like that, I feel sorry for them.”
On Sunday, former pro hockey player Akim Aliu said on Twitter he had spoken with Kadri about his “inadvertent” collision with Binnington.
“Naz has been subject to so many racist attacks and threats since last night that police had to be brought in,” said Aliu, who is Nigerian-Canadian. “Racist attacks like this have no place in hockey and should be investigated and reported on.”
Kadri had his first career playoff hat trick in Game 4, a performance he said was partly fueled by Blues coach Craig Berube’s comments after Game 3 about Kadri’s “reputation.” Kadri has had multiple suspensions in the playoffs going back to 2018.
“I wanted to come out tonight and really put a mark on this game, especially after what happened,” Kadri said. “I tried to do that as best as possible. Sometimes you’ve got to be patient and you’ve got to wait. I was able to strike early in the second period and was able to get the mojo going.”
Last May, Kadri was ejected from a playoff game against St. Louis after a high hit on defenseman Justin Faulk — which resulted in Faulk missing the remainder of that first-round series. Kadri was hit with an eight-game suspension.
When asked about the threats to Kadri, Blues coach, Berube said Monday, “I don’t comment on that stuff.”
Game 5 is Wednesday in Denver.
