Colorado Avalanche veteran center Nazem Kadri received death threats and racist messages after his harmful collision with St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington in Game 3 of the West semifinals on Saturday. And the accidental crash for a loose puck inside the crease led to Binnington suffering a series-ending knee injury, which further infuriated the Blues in their 5-2 home loss.
Fortunately for Kadri, he was able to hush the irked Enterprise Center crowd in Game 4 on Monday night, as he recorded a hat trick and four points in the Avalanche's 6-3 win. Colorado now owns a commanding 3-1 series lead, and according to FiveThirtyEight's projections, they have a 66-percent chance to reach their first Stanley Cup Final since 2001. Kadri placed the hateful remarks in the rearview mirror, and his handling of the situation -- on and off the ice -- impressed NHL on TNT host Liam McHugh.
"Binnington's out on a play that I think is just fine. Honestly, it's a hockey play, he's going for it hard," McHugh told The Zach Gelb Show on Tuesday. "I get it, fans are angry because Binnington had been playing so well. But, him scoring those goals and playing to the crowd... I mentioned Brad Marchand, there's a lot of that to his game. And he thrives off that. I thought Rick Tocchet nailed it too... He loved playoffs on the road. He wanted to hear the fans yelling at him.
"And I think it's the same for Kadri. It's depressing and disgusting that anyone has to deal with online abuse, specifically racial online abuse... I think the fact that Kadri, in our interview, could separate those individuals from the St. Louis crowd as a whole, and say it's something he's dealing with and hopes that we keep communicating about it... But, at the same time, could go back and say, 'I don't think this reflects Blues fans. They're booing me. And I'm playing right back to them. That's what it's all about.' I thought was just great."
The entire Stanley Cup playoffs conversation between McHugh and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.