Nazem Kadri does not need a redemption story

A reflection on enforced hockey narratives

Another day, same old hockey bullshit. For those who missed it, Nazem Kadri was pushed into St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, leaving him out for the rest of the series (which they lost, satisfactory). Binnington, in all his grace at his big age approaching 29, decided to throw a water bottle at Kadri like a pouty preschooler throwing a tantrum. Mind you, this was the second time Binnington had demonstrated excessive anger towards Kadri during the season.

Nothing we could write would be as cathartic as seeing Nazem Kadri scoring a hat trick and seeing his team advance to the Western Conference final, but we’ll try.

1. Mercy may not apply 

Hockey is like one of those shittily flipped houses in a newly gentrified neighborhood. From the outside, you might see a beautiful, modernized home ready for a new family to come in and displace working-class families. The second you take a closer look, though, the bad drywall, cheap floors, and shoddy wiring that may very well kill you are…