The Calgary Flames centre will celebrate it all Wednesday as he suits up for his 1,000th game when the Columbus Blue Jackets come to town (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT.).
Throughout his previous 999 games, Kadri, the 35-year-old from London, Ont., said the main moment that sticks out is winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.
He also said he’ll remember playing in numerous Game 7s as well as the Winter Classic at the Big House as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“You look back, you scroll through some old photos and just kinda have to pinch yourself. Like, you lived that and you went through it. It’s very surreal, very cool to think about,” Kadri told Flames TV.
Kadri said he’ll have plenty of family and friends in the Saddledome for the big night.
And he even admitted he is more excited and anxious than usual for the game. Asked by a Flames reporter about those who helped him get to this point, he deflected to the typical hockey-player “focused on the game” response before arriving at answer.
“Family is No. 1,” he said. “A lot of my difficult times I went through, they were there for me. Obviously, as a kid introducing me to the game that I love and just giving me the opportunity.”
For his career, the six-footer has tallied 310 goals and 410 assists, sitting fifth in his draft class with 720 regular-season points. He’ll be the ninth player from the 2009 class to reach 1,000 games.
Kadri, who was picked seventh overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, entered the league with the team in 2010 and went on to spend parts of 10 seasons with the organization before multiple playoff suspensions led to a trade to the Avalanche.
He then spent three seasons in Colorado before signing with Calgary ahead of 2022-23. He has yet to miss a game as a member of the Flames.
Teammate Mackenzie Weegar, who came to the Flames the same year, said he’s enjoyed getting to know Kadri.
“He’s done it the hard way. He hasn’t taken a day off. He plays hard every night. He’s a Stanley Cup champion. He’s put up, obviously, a lot of points,” Weegar told reporters.
“The best compliment you could give Naz is he’s the ultimate competitor. I think if you told him that, he’d feel pretty happy about that compliment.”
Weegar said he’s enjoyed stoking Kadri’s fiery side in the locker room, too.
“Definitely, we’ve had a couple yelling matches to fire us up a little bit, but I think for him that’s what gets him going, gets the juices flowing. It gets me going,” he said.
Still, Weegar knows there’s more to his teammate than extreme competitiveness — something he hopes will shine through for Game No. 1,000.
“I hope to see a couple tears,” he said, “see the softer side of him.”
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.