Nazem Kadri of the Toronto Maple Leafs was suspended for four games by the NHL after cross-checking Luke Glendening of the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. While the suspension will not have an impact on Toronto’s NHL sports betting odds to make the playoffs because all Canadian teams have been eliminated from the postseason, it will have a significant impact on his wallet because he has to pay a $250,000 fine.
W
hile other players acknowledge they are wrong after they get fined by the league, Kadri is digging his heels in and is unrepentant of his actions.
According to reports, Kadri told reporters that he will not apologize for the way he plays and he is also not going to change his style of play. Kadri said he did not agree with the fine and did not like it but he will pay the fine and move on with his life.
In addition to the fine levied against him for cross-checking Glendening, Kadri has been fined on numerous occasions this season for flopping. In a game against the Calgary Flames on March 21, Kadri checked Johnny Gaudreau and was immediately slashed by Josh Jooris in retaliation for the hit.
After he was hit by Jooris, Kadri fell to the ice and his stick flew in the air as a result of the pain he was in at the moment. Despite the hard hit, Kadri had to pay a fine for flopping. When asked about the play, Kadri showed reporters the huge welt on his leg that was a result of the play and said he would like to see whoever made the decision to fine him take a hit without padding to see what it feels like.
The NHL began cracking down on players diving/flopping last season and announced fines for repeat offenders. Some members of the league’s hockey operations department look at tape on a weekly basis and if a majority of the members agree a player was diving or flopping, they issue a warning to the player the first time then fine him for subsequent offenses.
The value of the fine increases with subsequent infractions, and since Kadri is already in stage 3, his next fine will cost him $4,000, and head coach Mike Babcock $2,000.
Kadri also told reporters he was not worried about falling in Babcock’s doghouse because his coach loves the way he plays and how hard he works. Despite his coach’s endorsement of his playing style, Kadri is building quite a reputation for himself among his peers and referees.
In the last three years, no other player has drawn more penalties than Kadri who has led the league in penalties drawn in each of the past two seasons.
While Kadri takes pride in the way he plays, he has to understand that referees and opponents aren’t fond of floppers. Kadri recently admitted that he noticed the referees weren’t calling as many penalties when he is on the receiving end of things like they used to. The reason they are calling fewer fouls for Kadri is due to the fact that they think he has cried wolf way too many times.
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