“It’s a huge, huge moment…it’s surreal” – Nazem Kadri brings Stanley Cup to mosque, first time ever in history
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Nazem Kadri with Stanley Cup
On Saturday, thousands of fans gathered in front of the London Muslim Mosque to see the majestic Stanley Cup and its winner Nazem Kadri. The Colorado Avalanche center stood in front of the gathering and stated, “This is a big deal”. It was like he knew what everyone was thinking and stated the thoughts of their mind. But isn’t it true?
The mosque carries the precious memories of Kadri and his family. His grandfather started attending the mosque after emigrating from Lebanon in 1968, and so did Kadri. The 31-year-old also grew up doing the same. It was a moment where Muslims and non-muslims all gathered in one place and came together to celebrate the joyous day.
“The community deserves it” – Nazem Kadri brings Stanley Cup to London, Ontario
Nazem Kadri stated, “As I sit here and reflect, I’m a London boy, these are the streets I grew up on, this is the mosque I used to come to and everything seems to have come full circle”. “I’m very appreciative, privileged, and honored to be the first-ever Muslim to be able to bring the Stanley Cup to the mosque. That’s something I’m always going to respect and always going to remember.”
He continued, “It’s part of my background, part of my roots, and part of who I am. There’s a reason why I brought it out and showcased it because I think the community deserves it. They’ve been cheering me on from the start, so I wanted to share it with everybody.” The Muslim community is still in the process of healing from the deadly June 6, 2021 attack, where 4 people from the same family were killed, and another wounded.
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Later the investigators stated that it was a hate-motivated attack, which shook the Muslim community there. London mayor, Ed Holder said, “This has been a site where we have all gathered in tears, this has been a place where we have all gathered in prayers, and now today, it’s a joyous celebration where we get smiles, laughs, and our Stanley Cup champion Nazem Kadri.”
Kadri said how he wanted to share his joy with others also, despite who they are, “That’s the goal at the end of the day, to try to inspire and motivate our youth,” Kadri said. “I have kids myself and I know the young generation is looking for role models, so I do the best I can and I’m just happy I get to share it with everybody.”
He continued, “It’s incredible. It’s a dream come true”. “I did not expect this kind of turnout, so I’m very grateful for all these supporters. To start at the mosque and finish here, it’s a beautiful day, which is the cherry on top.” It’s starting to sink in for sure. It’s surreal, I feel so honored to be able to represent the city.” “To see this outcome, to see everybody out here and supporting me just inspires and motivates me even more, so we’re going to try to run this thing back now that I’m in Calgary.”
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2140 Articles Published)