Colorado center Nazem Kadri calls out racist fan abuse, online threats after series-turning collision with St. Louis goalie

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Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri received racist and threatening messages online after his team’s Game 3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

The attacks on social media came after Kadri collided with Blues goalie Jordan Binnington in the first period, knocking the netminder out of the game and subsequently sidelining him for the remainder of the series.

After the collision, tensions were high between Kadri and the Blues.

“Look at Kadri’s reputation. That’s all I’ve got to say,” Blues coach Craig Berube said after the game.

Kadri, who has been suspended six times in his career — including an eight-game ban during the 2021 postseason after a high hit on Blues defenseman Justin Faulk — was not called for a penalty on the play that took Binnington out on Saturday night.

But on social media, the attacks against Kadri, who is Muslim and of Lebanese descent, went much further than any critique of his play.

In a series of Instagram story posts, from the account dedicated to sharing pictures of Kadri’s cat, his wife Ashley shared a sampling of the direct messages the 31-year-old Canadian native receives, showing accounts threatening Kadri and attacking him for his race and religion. 

In response to the messages, Kadri and the Avalanche had an increased police presence ahead of Game 4 of their series against the Blues.

On the ice in Game 4, Kadri got the better of St. Louis. Despite being subject to a few hard hits, Kadri netted a hat trick on Monday night to lead the Avalanche to a 6-3 win and a commanding a 3-1 lead in the series.

After the game, Kadri offered a message to those that had attacked him and his family online.

“Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with that for a long time,” Kadri said in his postgame interview. “That’s sad to say, but that’s just the fact of the matter. I’m getting good at just putting it in the rearview mirror.

“It’s a big deal. I try to act like it’s not and just keep moving forward. I know that doesn’t reflect every single fan in St. Louis, but for those that hate, that one’s for them.”

Kadri reiterated his point while speaking with reporters after the game. While he didn’t hear any abuse from the fans at the Enterprise Center Monday night, he was happy to send a message of his own after the week he had had.

“What was said wasn’t a reflection of every single fan in St. Louis. I want to make that clear,” Kadri said. “But for those who waste their time sending messages like that, I feel sorry for them.”

Game 5 between the Avalanche and Blues is set for Wednesday night in Colorado.