Craig Berube addresses racist threats against Kadri two days too late
May 25, 2022, 12:17 PM
Ahead of Game 5 between the Avalanche and Blues, St. Louis head coach Craig Berube finally addressed the racist threats some fans made toward Colorado center Nazem Kadri. Kadri collided with Blues goal Jordan Binnington in an unfortunate incident during Game 3, knocking Binnington out for the series.
Berube offered a ridiculous no comment ahead of Monday’s Game 4, even though threats against Kadri were being investigated by law enforcement on Sunday. Kadri’s wife, Ashley, posted screenshots of the repulsive Instagram messages on Tuesday. So, some 48 hours later, Berube finally tried to set the record straight.
Here’s what the man tasked with leading the Blues had to say on Wednesday morning at Ball Arena:
Before today's media availability, Craig Berube made this statement. pic.twitter.com/QATWsf2WWZ
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 25, 2022
Berube’s comments here are a bit confusing. He’s not on social media, but did know about a threat, but didn’t know it was racist? So is a threat okay, as long as it’s not racist? That’s odd.
The rest of what he said is what should have been said on Monday. It would have been easy to help extinguish the fire then, but instead he let it keep burning. And as a reminder, towards the end of his nearly two-decade NHL playing career, Berube was suspended for calling former Avs player Peter Worrell a racial slur.
In this case, it’s better later than never, but the fact Berube had to be prompted to do this rather than just knowing it was the right thing to do is damming.
The Avs will look to finish off the Blues in Game 5 tonight at Ball Arena, with the puck dropping shortly after 6:00 p.m. MT.
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