For young Muslim hockey players, Nazem Kadri is changing the game

Stanley Cup champion Nazem Kadri is a role model for thousands of hockey-playing Muslim children in Canada, but things were different in the 1990s when he was getting started in the sport.

"Growing up watching the NHL, I didn't really see anybody that looked like me or resembled my background," said Kadri, 31, who grew up in London, Ont., one of five children born to Lebanese parents.

Things are starting to shift, something London's Muslim community will celebrate on Saturday when Kadri brings home the Stanley Cup.

Kadri, who is now signed with the Calgary Flames, is believed to be the first Muslim player to win the Cup. He did it with the Colorado Avalanche in June, when the NHL team beat the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

"Any time you can be the first to do anything really, is quite an achievement," said the centre, who played with the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining Colorado. "This one's going down in the history books, which is something that's very special and very cool to me.

"I used to tell my teachers all the time I was going to the NHL," he recalled in an interview with CBC News. "They just told me to keep doing my homework."

Tomorrow, Kadri kicks off a community parade at the London Muslim Mosque, a place that remains dear to his heart. 

"I've been going there since I was a kid," said Kadri. "Friday prayers was obviously something that we were involved in."

For London's Muslim community, having something to celebrate is a blessing. They're still coming to grips with the June 2021 truck attack on a Muslim family while they were out for an evening walk. Police say the incident was motivated by hate. A man charged with murder and terror-related counts is expected to go to trial next year. 

Kadri's accomplishments are much lauded in London's hockey community.

"He really proved that anybody can do anything," said Ahmed Tassi, 12, of the London Junior Knights under-12 Triple A team. Ahmed's family is also Lebanese and Muslim.

Things are changing in minor hockey now, said the young player, who dreams of making the NHL.

"A lot of them have different colours of skin and different beliefs, and even after the game you can hear them talking different languages with their families," he said.

Kadri emphasized that diversity in the game is important.