Kadri takes Stanley Cup to his hometown mosque
Nazem Kadri is no stranger to making history, and he may have made some more Saturday.
The veteran forward brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown mosque in London, Ontario, during his day with the trophy and is apparently the first to ever take it inside one.
Nazem Kadri brings the Stanley Cup to the London Muslim Mosque.
— Amrit Gill (@AmritG) August 27, 2022
This is believed to be the first time in history that the Cup has entered a mosque. @HkyNightPunjabi @NHL @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/wRIZAm8hvv
Kadri became the first Muslim player to win the Cup when the Colorado Avalanche claimed it in June. He signed a seven-year contract carrying a $7-million cap hit with the Calgary Flames as an unrestricted free agent Aug. 18.
Child of an immigrant.
— Amrit Gill (@AmritG) August 27, 2022
Kadri is the first Muslim player to win the Stanley Cup. The family has roots in London, Ontario dating back to the 1960s. @HkyNightPunjabi @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/lK89M4qKUs
Fans in attendance chanted Kadri's name as he emerged to greet them.
A hometown hero’s reception. 👏 @43_Kadri pic.twitter.com/BS3vIJL3Am
— THE SHIFT (@theshift_sports) August 27, 2022
Kadri's two grandmothers were on hand for the festivities.
Mariam Abdulhamid and Charifie Kadri reppin’ their Lebanese heritage & watching their grandson, Nazem Kadri make history. #StanleyCup @HkyNightPunjabi @Sportsnet @NHL pic.twitter.com/74j9sjBHAA
— Amrit Gill (@AmritG) August 27, 2022
The 31-year-old then hopped onto a fire truck and paraded down the street.
Nazem Kadri riding a vintage fire truck through the streets of London with the #StanleyCup on board.@Avalanche @NHLdotcom pic.twitter.com/9VXo3i3SCs
— Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) August 27, 2022
Kadri later took the stage elsewhere, and London lawmakers awarded him the key to the city.
To his surprise, Nazem Kadri just received the key to the city of London, Ont. pic.twitter.com/IGSFMt9AgX
— Ahmar Khan (@AhmarSKhan) August 27, 2022
The London-born center expressed his gratitude and said he plans to retain the Cup with his new team.
"We're going to try to run this thing back and I'm going to Calgary to get the job done!"
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) August 27, 2022
Nazem Kadri on his day with the #StanleyCup in London 🏆 @NHLFlames pic.twitter.com/hmxgYLAAyr
"Everything has just seemed to come around full circle," Kadri told the media, including TSN. "I'm very appreciative, very privileged, and honored to be the first-ever Muslim to bring the Stanley Cup to the mosque. It's a big deal, it's a big deal.
"And that's something that I'm always going to respect, I'm always going to remember."
Kadri's late grandfather - who shared his name - immigrated to Windsor, Ontario, from Lebanon in 1968 before settling in London. His grandson played two of his four OHL seasons with the London Knights.
The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted him seventh overall in 2009. Kadri played over nine seasons with Toronto before the club traded him to Colorado in the summer of 2019.
Kadri said he will be inviting a few of his ex-Leafs teammates to a private celebration in Toronto on Saturday night, but he wouldn't reveal who would be in attendance, according to the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby.