Binningham tosses water bottle at Kadri who continues to face hate speech; law enforcement involved
Death threats, hate speech and a tossed water bottle are all a result of a collision between Avalanche center Nazem Kadri and Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.
The Colorado Avalanche are working with St. Louis law enforcement regarding threats made toward center Nazem Kadri following their Game 3 win against the Blues on Saturday.
Kadri, who recorded his first career playoff hat trick in Colorado’s 6-3 Game 4 road win on Monday night, pushing St. Louis to the brink of elimination, has been the subject of racist attacks and threats for the last 48 hours after colliding with Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.
Kadri received death threats, racial messages
“Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with that a long time,” Kadri told reporters in a postgame interview. " That’s sad to say, but I’m getting good at putting in the rearview mirror. It’s a big deal. I try to act like it’s not. Just try to keep moving forward. I know those messages I got don’t reflect every single fan in St. Louis. But for those that hate, that one’s for them.”
After local law enforcement was contacted regarding the threats made towards Kadri following Colorado’s Game 3 win on Saturday, there was increased police presence around Enterprise Center and at the Avalanche’s team hotel in St. Louis.
Kadri, a Muslim of Lebanese descent, described the messages he received as “racial, threatening” when asked to define them.
What happened between Kadri and Binnington in Game 3?
During Saturday’s game, Kadri and Blues defenseman Calle Rosen collided, ending up in the lap of the St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington while chasing a loose puck. Binnington left the match with a lower-body injury that took him out of the series as well.
Kadri was not given a penalty, and the NHL Department of Player Safety decided there was no need for supplemental discipline for him. However, Blues coach Craig Berube had something else to say about Kadri.
Blues coach Berube questions Kadri’s behavior
“Look at Kadri’s reputation. That’s all I’ve got to say,” Berube said of Kadri, who was banned for an illegal check to Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in last year’s playoffs, and who’s had multiple postseason suspensions.
Kadri said that he used Berube’s upsetting comment as his fuel going into Game 4, resulting in a 3-1 lead in the second-round playoff series.
“It started with their head coach, probably. He made some comments that I wasn’t a fan of. I guess he’s never heard of bulletin board material,” Kadri told reporters.
Binnington threw a water bottle at Nazem Kadri during interview
When asked about the collision, Kadri defended his behavior on Saturday and said he hoped Binnington was alright. “I just tried to poke the puck free, I think their weakside defenseman hit me and that’s what caused the collision,” Kadri said in the post-game interview. “I hope he’s alright. I’m not sure if he just threw a water bottle at me or not, but I mean, not much I can do, man.”
Akil Aliu and Kadri seek to eradicate racism in hockey
Kadri and hockey player Akim Aliu, who tweeted that racist attacks like those targeted at Kadri have no place in hockey, are founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, an organization of current and former hockey players of color seeking to address intolerance and racism in hockey.
Aliu also tweeted about Berube’s comment on Kadri, and how a “head coach of a NHL team has no comment on a fellow player receiving death threats.”
Nazem Kadri’s wife shares threatening messages received
Nazem Kadri’s wife also took to social media on Tuesday, sharing what their family has endured for the past 48 hours through the Jazzy Kadri Instagram account.