Nazem Kadri brings Stanley Cup home to childhood mosque (PHOTOS)
When Nazem Kadri won the Stanley Cup earlier this year, there was one place he had in mind to bring it to: the London Muslim Mosque in his Ontario hometown.
In his third — and subsequently final — season with the Colorado Avalanche, Kadri was a pivotal part of the team’s Stanley Cup push, scoring seven goals and picking up 15 points in 16 games, despite being out of action for nearly three weeks with a thumb injury.
Kadri is believed to be the first Muslim player to win the Stanley Cup, and subsequently, it’s believed that Saturday marked the first time the Stanley Cup has entered a mosque, bringing it to his hometown as part of his day with the trophy.
In the prayer room at the London Muslim Mosque @43_Kadri taking it all in with his dad Sam and wife Ashley. pic.twitter.com/qFw6ZqzkC7
— Christine Simpson (@SNChrisSimpson) August 27, 2022
“As I sit here and reflect, I’m a London boy, these are the streets I grew up on, this is the mosque I used to come to and everything seems to have come full circle,” Kadri said, via NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “I’m very appreciative, privileged and honoured to be the first-ever Muslim to be able to bring the Stanley Cup to the mosque. That’s something I’m always going to respect and always going to remember.
In the prayer room at the London Muslim Mosque @43_Kadri taking it all in with his dad Sam and wife Ashley. pic.twitter.com/qFw6ZqzkC7
— Christine Simpson (@SNChrisSimpson) August 27, 2022
Nazem Kadri brings the Stanley Cup to the London Muslim Mosque.
This is believed to be the first time in history that the Cup has entered a mosque. @HkyNightPunjabi @NHL @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/wRIZAm8hvv
— Amrit Gill (@AmritG) August 27, 2022
The move earned plenty of recognition on social media:
Kadri and his family could have chosen to start the parade anywhere. But they chose the mosque. In a sport that is predominantly white, as a player that has faced racist harassment, and in a city that has proven lethal to muslims, it was a conscious and lauded choice.
— Selma Tobah (@stobah) August 27, 2022
Kadri bring the cup to a mosque is fantastic the best sport on the planet should be appreciated by everyone!
— Dave Thomas good comic covers from yesteryear (@DaveTho55529017) August 28, 2022
The pics of Kadri taking the cup to the mosque have been so awesome. Great to see the game expanding to all cultures.
— Joseph Canavan (@JosephCanavan80) August 27, 2022
"There is something incredibly powerful about seeing someone who looks like you accomplish extraordinary things." @salimvalji
The best article I've read on this story and I've read A LOT because THIS MATTERS.https://t.co/cnMmTelVpV— Sonali Karnick (@sonalikarnick) August 28, 2022
Sportsnet’s Faizal Khamisa, an Ismaili Muslim, delivered an address to Kadri on the network’s nightly broadcast.
On my introduction to hockey, which is really a story on my parents introduction to hockey, which is pretty typical of the immigrant experience in Canada.
It’s why what Nazem Kadri did taking the Stanley Cup to a mosque is both special and important. @43_Kadri, thank you. pic.twitter.com/BcGtAusfra
— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) August 28, 2022
After being traded from the Leafs in 2019 in a blockbuster deal for Alex Kerfoot and Tyson Barrie, Kadri had 58 goals, 97 assists in 178 games for the Avalanche in his career.
For now, Kadri starts the work on his next championship, having recently signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames.
“It’s addicting. You want to get back there,” Kadri told the media recently of his decision to sign in Calgary and his desire to win another Stanley Cup. “Of course that was pretty high on my list, in going to a competitive team that I think could make some noise right away. That’s Calgary for me.”
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