Nazem Kadri speaks with the media about his first trip back to play the Leafs since winning the Cup
The Toronto Maple Leafs will welcome Nazem Kadri back to Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night as they host the Calgary Flames. For Kadri, the moment should be a pretty significant one, as it will mark the first time he's been back to SBA since winning a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche.
Kadri had a chance to speak with the Toronto media on Saturday morning after the Flames' morning skate in Toronto. He was asked whether winning a Cup had him feeling though he was walking taller into the arena that he once called home. Here was his response:
Per Postmedia's Lance Hornby, it was once very important for Kadri to be a leader on a young Leafs team and help to set the right examples for a young Leafs core that consisted of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Now, coming back to Toronto as a Champion, did Kadri send the right messages in the room while he was in Toronto? Was he a role model for the group? Is he still? Kadri believes that he was, but also gave the Leafs' core a lot of credit for catching on quickly.
One has to wonder whether or not the Leafs have something fun planned to honour Kadri tonight in his first trip back to Scotiabank Arena since winning the Stanley Cup. Yes, he may have told the higher-ups to kiss his ass after winning the Cup, but obviously it was said out of pure emotion. Plus, the Leafs know how beloved Kadri is to the fans. As an organization who wants to provide the fans with the best live experience, I'd imagine that giving Kadri a tribute of some kind will engage the audience and lead to a standing ovation for one of the Leafs' former hometown heroes.
Kadri and the Flames will be hungry for a win tonight in Toronto, coming off of a tough 3-1 loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets last night. For the Leafs, they're on a 2-game winning streak and are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games. Catching an exhausted Flames team on the 2nd half of a back-to-back with travel could be provide a good opportunity to extend their current streak to 3 games.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 10 | 173 ANSWERS Nazem Kadri speaks with the media about his first trip back to play the Leafs since winning the Cup Will Flames forward Nazem Kadri be honoured at tonight's game in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 59 | 34.1 % |
| No | 114 | 65.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
