Today will be a big day for the Calgary Flames as they get set to host the Columbus Blue Jackets. The storyline for this game will be on one thing, that being that tonight will be Nazem Kadri’s 1000th career game. It is a major milestone for the 35-year-old as he will become just the 411th player to reach that milestone in NHL history.
Kadri has had a fantastic career up to this point. He has been an extremely productive player, he has been a leader on every team that he has played on, and to top it all off, he has also won a Stanley Cup. He was a massive addition to the Flames back in the summer of 2022, and even though the team’s success has been lacklustre since he arrived, Kadri has more than lived up to the contract he signed and then some, as he has had some of the best years of his career in a Flames uniform.
With Kadri suiting up for his 1000th game tonight, I think it is time to look back on his career thus far as a Flame and to take a look back on his best moments as a Flame up to this point.
Kadri’s first goal as a Flame
Kadri’s first season in Calgary was highly anticipated. After losing the likes of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk that offseason, Kadri was brought in alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar to hopefully keep the Flames contenders. Well, we all know by now that that didn’t happen.
Kadri’s first goal with the Flames, however, was one for the highlight reels. In only his second game as a Flame, and in his first Battle of Alberta, it didn’t take Kadri long to make an impact. It was early in the first period with the Flames up 2–1 and on the power play. Kadri picked up the puck in his own and started a charge up the ice.
He had a couple of Oilers defencemen to beat, but former Flame Brett Kulak would blow a tire that gave Kadri a clear lane to the net. He made a slick move to his forehand and slid the puck five-hole on Jack Campbell to put the Flames up 3–1. It was an incredible goal, and he knew it, and it was the first time he made his mark on the Battle of Alberta. That was only the first of Kadri’s many highlight reel moments as a Flame.
Goal of the year candidate on Kiprusoff night
Fast forward to March of 2024, the night the Flames retired the great Miikka Kiprusoff’s number forever. The Flames were taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins, and while the Flames were well out of a playoff fight at this point in the season, they were determined to get a big win for Kiprusoff that night.
Well, it didn’t exactly go to plan for the majority of the game. While trailing 3–1 and being completely dominated that night, Kadri gave the spark the Flames needed to get the comeback going. With just under 10 minutes to play in the game, Kadri took a pass from Weegar at his own blue line and went to work.
Kadri slickly put the puck through the legs of Noel Acciari, leaving him in the dust. He then danced around Kris Letang and made a power move towards the Penguins’ net. He got around Tristan Jarry and slid the puck into the empty net. Not only one of the nicest goals of Kadri’s career, but one of the best goals ever seen. The Flames rallied from there, scoring another two to win the game 4–3, capping off an incredible night.
Being in the building for that goal was incredible. It is definitely the most beautiful goal I have ever seen live, and the reaction from the crowd said it all.
Spin around, jump goal against the Lightning
Kadri has always been one for the dramatics, none bigger than on this goal he scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. In a game where the Flames would ultimately get dismantled by the Lightning, it didn’t come without a highlight from Kadri.
With the Flames trailing 4–1 just over halfway through the second period, Kevin Bahl would clear the puck with a little bit of help from Huberdeau, pushing the puck towards the Lightning end. It would end up becoming a foot race between Kadri and Lightning defender JJ Moser. Moser would lose his footing just before reaching the puck, but the only way Kadri would be able to beat him to it would be by jumping over him. Well, Kadri would do just that; he jumped over Moser and slightly lost his footing, causing him to do a full 360 before reaching the puck. With little time, Kadri got there and ripped a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
It may not have been on purpose on Kadri’s part, but man, did it ever make the goal just that much more spectacular, and I am not sure I have ever seen a goal quite like that one.
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Overtime winner against the Kraken
Last season was certainly a roller coaster. The Flames had next to no expectations and almost made the playoffs in incredible fashion. All of that wouldn’t have been possible without the play of Kadri. Late in the season, he was playing maybe some of the best hockey of his career. He had just come off scoring an overtime winner against the New York Islanders to secure a massive extra point, and he was trying to do the same the next game against the Kraken, which also went to overtime.
The Flames saw a lead evaporate quickly late in the third, pushing the game to overtime, where they didn’t exactly have much success. After some chances were exchanged back and forth, Dustin Wolf made a huge save, and the rebound came free to Matt Coronato, who sprung Kadri on a breakaway. Kadri would charge in and make a gorgeous backhand to forehand deke on Joey Daccord to seal the win for the Flames.
The team went nuts, and honestly in that moment, I thought for sure that they were going to make the playoffs, nothing was stopping them late in the season, and I really thought that this team with no true superstar, led by their rookie goaltender was going to get there. Unfortunately, it was all for naught.
Kadri has played his best hockey in Calgary
Outside of the year that Kadri won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022, it is hard to argue that he hasn’t played the best hockey of his career as a Flame. He had his second-best point total of his career in the 2023–24 season with 75, and last season he set a career high in goals with 35. He has had another great start to this season with 10 points in his first 14 games on a team that is having lots of trouble scoring. Kadri is still playing great hockey, even at 35.
It is too bad we haven’t been able to see Kadri play in the playoffs as a Flame to this point, because we know he turns it up a notch when he is there. It is a shame. He has been fantastic since signing in Calgary just over three years ago.
Congratulations on 1000 games, Naz!
There come points in a player’s career when sometimes they get written off too early, or some think the player will wash out of the league sooner rather than later. Early on in Kadri’s career, we did hear plenty of that. Kadri, however, broke through all of that to become a major cog on multiple teams, including one that won the Stanley Cup. It is truly a difficult feat to reach 1000 games, and for Kadri to get to this point is simply remarkable.
So, Naz, congratulations on 1000 career games! It has been an absolute pleasure to watch you over the years, and we hope we can continue to see many more as the years go on!
