Mr. Role Model: Nazem Kadri

One wonders how a single player can have such an influence on one community but when you look at Kadri’s character it all begins to make sense. Nazem Kadri when drafted in Montreal sent shockwaves through Toronto some were negative and some positive as most people were expecting Brayden Schenn to don a Leafs jersey.Though I am not going to be discussing Nazem’s talent in this article instead his off ice affect in Toronto will be discussed.

Nazem Kadri ‘s mere selection has already got Muslim youngsters interested in the game. Perhaps an untapped talent will be discovered if these youngsters who are used to cricket and soccer begin to take up hockey. Nazem just with his background has given muslim youth around Toronto a professional athlete in the NHL to look up to as their own. Now I certainly don’t want to make this a race issue because these Muslim kids can look up to quite a few of the classy players around the league and I am sure they do but Nazem’s affect is different and perhaps more attractive to these youngsters. I have seen a lot of Muslim kids take up hockey with their friends or at least inquire about the game and this is certainly a step in the right direction.

It’ll be interesting to see if Nazem gives back to the kids who have begun to look up to him and I am sure if he puts in a little effort off the ice he will perhaps become the most influential Leafs player in the team. All this talk about untapped talent makes me wonder about all of those kids who just can’t afford the gear to play or simply don’t know anything about the game. Even if a small portion of these kids try out hockey and like it then we will perhaps see a revolution in hockey. Nazem is known to be a great guy off the ice and I am sure he will be keen to do his part in this and that might lead him to becoming a great leader for the Leafs (sadly in my eyes he won’t get the “C” cause Schenn will have it) and he will make a great leader for the community.

Although we must remember that before he starts spending time in the community, he needs to excel on the ice and that should be his first priority. He looked decent on the ice at the development camp last week and it seems that after another season or two in London he will become a good player for the leafs. One thing that wasn’t talked about a lot in regards to the development camp was the mere fact that Kadri really does show some superb leadership skills as he goes out of his way to help other guys and the guys really like him as a teammate. This certainly bodes well for the Leafs who really don’t need a young rookie with a poor attitude at this point in time. Poor attitude was the exact reason for the Leafs not going after Zherdev in the first place.

In the end we all hope that he is a positive influence in the community because a true role model is certainly something people in Toronto would love to have.