The National Hockey League (NHL) has revealed that police in St. Louis are investigating threats made against Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri.
Kadri has been the subject of racist messages on social media since being involved in a collision with Blues goalkeeper Jordan Binnington, who is sidelined for the remainder of the series following this. incident.
Assistant Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press via email that the league and police are looking into the situation.
The team said on Sunday evening that they were aware of the threats against Kadri and were working with local law enforcement to investigate.
Kadri collided with Binnington in Game 3 of the second-round series on Saturday night. He mentioned that a Blues player threw a water bottle at him during a postgame interview.
The AP has verified the existence of Twitter messages sent to the Avalanche’s official account and Kadri’s account calling him a “wretched Arab” and referring to terrorism. Other messages, some of which have since been deleted, included death threats. One, however, was still online hours before Game 4 in St. Louis. The Avalanche lead the series 2-1.
It was unclear if the social media posts were being investigated by the league, team or police, or if there were other threats made against Kadri, who is of Lebanese descent.
“We take threats made against any of our players or other club staff seriously,” Daly said. We are in contact with the St. Louis Police Department, and they are enforcing heightened security procedures in both the amphitheater and the hotel. »
Former NHL player Akim Aliu clarified via text message that he was in constant communication with Kadri and added, “All we can really do is support him morally. »
“Naz has been the subject of so many racist attacks and threats since last night that the police had to intervene,” tweeted Aliu, who is Nigerian-Canadian. Racist attacks like these have no place in hockey and should be investigated and reported. »
Aliu and Kadri are members of the Alliance for Diversity in Hockey, which works to eradicate systemic racism and intolerance in hockey, and helps make the sport more accessible to minorities and disadvantaged youth.
The NHL has several security measures in place, including the intervention of club staff and additional services provided by the home team who are in constant communication with the league security department. This department acts in situations like this and can work with law enforcement, if necessary.
The league, with input from the NHL Players Association, has established a confidential hotline where players can report harassment, discrimination or other serious misconduct. The service is operated by a third party, with the ability to report by phone, email or online, anonymously or not.