Emotional Nazemukadori, Dad Sam opens about Cup Journey

Tampa-That wasn’t just what Nazem Kadori said Canadian hockey night That night he became the Stanley Cup champion. That was the way he said it.

Of course, Kadori thanked his supporters when he spoke to sportsnets David Amber and Elliott Friedman after 739 veterans raised their boyhood fantasy trophies.

Then, just before skating, he shouted to those he didn’t like. “And for everyone I thought was responsible in the playoffs, you can kiss my ass.”

Kadori looked like a Halloween kid running away from a fiery paper bag and a rung doorbell, laughing blindly and laughing as he said, with wild eyes with devilish joy.

“I have already said what I have to say,” Kadori told several Toronto-based reporters after the moment of his Mike Drop. “But I love all the people stuck on my side. Even in the dark ages when there were only a few, I got stuck on my side and knew I would be the player of the day. All the true supporters who were.

“I feel blessed. I am very grateful. I couldn’t do this without a lot of people.”

The group includes his former Maple Leafs teammate who sent a message of encouragement from three rounds away. The same guys he did a little hard to stick to in the past playoffs.

“Of course, of course, absolutely,” they are in contact, Kadori said. “They are still my friends. They will be my lifelong friends. And you know, I hope the same for them.”

The Kadori Redemption Tour defeated Tampa twice.

First, in his painful comeback attempt last week, when Forward plunged into a one-on-three situation, filling the winner of Game 4’s overtime game like a storybook.

“I played basketball, and my vertical is probably about 2 inches,” said Sam Kadori, Nazem’s dad. “And that night was four feet.”

Sam has followed his son’s team on most of this prestigious championship run, but no one believed he could play that night with Nazem’s surgically repaired thumb, so he played Game 4 on TV at home. I watched the game.

“He’s pretty focused and pretty determined. That kind of injury was really terrible. To be honest with you, I didn’t expect him to come back. We are blessed, and I thank God. Thank you, “Sam said.

“I’m very happy with him because he fought over many adversities, many challenges, many obstacles. You know, he’s pretty focused. He’s pretty determined. “

Kadori, who made that decision, bandaged his injured thumb and frozen it before games 4, 5, and 6. He always watched the energetic shots transform into muffins.

The pain was intolerable.

“It was terrible. It was terrible. I felt it every shift, but it was hard,” Kadori said. “I changed the 6-week (recovery) timeline to 2 weeks. Great medical staff helped me along the way. I couldn’t even skate before the match. I was before every match. I had my medical trainer tie my skates. So what a war. But there was nothing to prevent me from being here. “

wait. How could you lift the 34.5 pound trophy with your bust hand?

“Do you know what kind of adrenaline is passing through my body now ?!” Kadori said, squinting.

“Man, I just wanted to be in the middle of it. I didn’t want to look outside. So I did everything I could. And I feel good.”

Darcy Kaempfer begins to suffocate when he asks the goalkeeper about the implications of Kadri’s return to the finals.

“A man like Naz, who didn’t expect anyone to come back, gets over the pain and comes back to the lineup,” his voice quivered to Kaempfer. “It inspires everyone. And it’s just a boost to adrenaline for everyone to reach that overtime goal. We’re very happy with him, and obviously we I wouldn’t have been able to do that without him. “

The second and most delicious redemption match arrived on Sunday when Kadori reluctantly lifted the Stanley Cup at a traded club-the Maple Leafs can’t trust the fiery center to make a third break at the post. After the decision, the season.

He then played in Colorado after Kadori was suspended for the third time in the playoffs, sending eight headshots to Bruce’s defense Justin Fork in 2021.

The wrap sheet has become his reputation.

“It was like a dark cloud above his head, and I think he wanted to get rid of it a bit, and he did it,” Sam said with pride.

“That is, I think he could have made more contributions if he hadn’t hurt his hand. I think everyone will find him a playoff performer in the future.”

Not only is he a playoff performer, Kadori is the first Muslim to win the Stanley Cup.

“That means everything,” Nazem said. “I will never forget my roots where I came from. All my hometown people who have been in my corner since day one, and it’s my family. And I love them so much. I have to go to the celebration with them. “

Sam considers it an incredible achievement, but it’s a better example.

“For us, we are proud to be Canadians and Muslim Canadians first and foremost, and I think it will do a lot for the younger generation. We hope that the stigma of racism comes from all sports, cultures and societies.

“I also give the cup my name, so I’m blessed.”

If Kadori had three disappointing playoff moments before this run, he had three indelible playoff moments this spring.

The reaction of his hat-trick in St. Louis after the first racist fan vomits hatred in his direction to clash with Bruce goalkeeper Jordan Binnington.

Yes, Sam praises Nazem for his pain threshold and his hockey skills. But he also cherishes how his son treated the ugliness in class.

“It only gives you a dose of what is really in the world right now, and it’s sad to see it,” Sam said. “I’m a man, what do you know? You’re a dirty player.” Whatever you want to say about it. When you start bringing your race card, you will be off the line.

“I have a lot of respect for him because someone else could fold in that situation, and he decided to do something about it.”

Nazem Kadori stood up, bounced off, and pushed through. He deserves that moment.

So does London, Ontario know where he will have a party on his day in the cup?

“I don’t know. I have to decide, but it’s going to be a pretty party,” Kadori smiled.

“We are celebrating tonight, and we are celebrating tomorrow, and the next day.”