On August 30, 2022, I sat down with the newly-signed Flames centre on my Flames coverage channel Into The Flames.
After a brief introduction, our segment started with him taking us through what his day with the Stanley Cup was like on August 27, 2022. Let’s recap everything he had to say.
Kadri’s day with the Cup
In taking us through his day with the Cup and what that meant to him and his community, he stated: “It was great, just being able to bring it out and share it with my community, you know obviously these are people that have stuck by my side since my early years and have kind of seen the development of my entire career.” He also added: “Just bringing it to the mosque was special, it was something that was important to me and seeing all the friendly faces and all the kids just coming out and I’m sure it’s not going to be a day they’re going to forget and neither will I. So anytime you can be the first to accomplish something, it’s certainly an honour and a privilege and I’m just fortunate that I got the opportunity to do that.”
On the Nazem Kadri Foundation
Following up, I asked about the intricacies around his charitable contributions along the lines of which causes he backs within his foundation, The Nazem Kadri Foundation to which he stated: “We kind of dip our toes into everything, just trying to help out as much as possible, there’s been several different beneficiaries and a lot to do with mental health and focusing on that, food banks, women’s shelters, the list goes on.
“So I’m thankful we’ve been able to contribute quite a bit and it’s been going on for about eight years now and in those eight years I think we’ve raised close to two million dollars, so it’s been pretty successful and I’m very thankful that there’s a lot of sponsors involved and a lot of people that have helped me kind of bring this to fruition.”
If you’re looking to check out the details behind this charitable foundation, learn more and potentially donate to ‘The Nazem Kadri Foundation’ head over to http://kadrifoundation.com
What Kadri can bring to Calgary
Now, in turning over to the hockey side of things, when asked about what he’s looking to bring to the team, Kadri noted: “A little bit of everything, obviously, I enjoy playing on the offensive side of the rink but still can take care of my own end and I take pride in playing a complete game and trying to round my game out as much as possible, with a little feistiness you could say.” Kadri also added that he “always looks forward to those competitive games and being a competitive team,” and he’s looking forward to having those attributes at his disposal in Calgary.
When asked about what enticed him to Calgary, he reiterated that he knew a few of the guys and that he’s had some extended family members who’ve lived in Calgary before who “always had great things to say”, he added that he loves the current direction of the team and the new additions calling it a “revamped and refreshed look” and a “different outlook from top to bottom.” Kadri also noted that he feels good about his teammates and the club’s overall organizational depth, with stating that he’s looking forward to finally get to Calgary and get things going.
He expects to finally get settled in the city during the second week of September.
Newfound motivation with the Flames
When asked about his excitement level with now being the newest prominent figure in the Battle of Alberta Kadri smirked and stated that he’s always appreciated these types of rivalries. He went on to state that “playing in Ontario for several years, I kind of understand the dynamic of a matchup like this. It brings the best out of you, and I always like the new rivalries and just coming to new teams and seeing who they hate the most. It’s not going to be hard for me to hop on board and I’m ready to go.”
In terms of his inspiration for getting into the game of hockey, Kadri reflected on his family and friends as his main sources of inspiration and motivation.
It is also very important to note that he is a huge hip-hop fan, particularly the likes of Drake, Kanye West and J. Cole. “If I’m DJ-ing in the locker room, usually it’s something along those lines” he stated.
He ended the interview by preaching: “Get your #91’s man, I want to see them out there” and to that I say—you bet, Nazem!
It should be an exciting year and I think it is safe to say that Nazem Kadri has already begun shaping up to be an early fan favourite!
