Canadian hockey professor and colorblind fashion designer mannequin Don Cherry has taken to Twitter to try to illuminate Nazem Kadri’s situation in Toronto in just 14 tweets.
Cherry’s tweets are in part a response to Mike Babcock talking about Kadri on Monday, saying, “I expect him to be an elite player.”
He went on, according to the Toronto Star:
“[The contract is] a home run for him,” said the new Leafs coach. “He gets to come in and have a heck of a year and put the screws to us. Why wouldn’t he? If I’m him, I’m going to have the best year of my career because I’m training the way I should and living the way I should, then why wouldn’t I have a short-term deal?”
Cherry’s 14-part series of tweets, which you can see in full below, asserts that “from day 1 [Kadri] was put down by the organization” despite coming out of the 2009 draft with a strong training camp. Cherry goes on to talk about how it seemed that Kadri couldn’t win even when he played well, so “Nazem figured he couldn’t win.”
In Cherry’s estimation, with a new coach and new management around, this is Kadri’s year to breakout and break away from the baggage of the previous regime.
1) Nazem Kadri at 18 years old came to training camp full of vim and vigor. A great year with Dale Hunter in London and a good attitude.
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
2) At training camp he led the team in points, tied with goals and led in +/- with 6. Best player by far at training camp. I remember the
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
3) shootout goal he got. Remember that? It was spectacular. But from day 1 he was put down by the organization. I could never figure out
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
4) why they were always blasting their #1 pick saying he’s bad in his own end and things like that. Didn’t they see he was +6 in training
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
5) training camp? He was the best on the whole club. He couldn’t have been that bad in his own end. Whether has was too cocky or what, they
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
6) developed a dislike for him and sent him back to junior even though other teams kept their #1 picks who didn’t have the training camp
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
7) Kadri did and they turned into stars after having great rookie years. Nazem never really looked like the star he was at training camp
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
8) for the rest of his career. He played for the Leafs but I did not like his attitude. I remember a time in Ottawa he was a #1 star, Leafs
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
9) won the game, he played a great game and the coach still put him down. So Nazem figured he couldn’t win and his play on and off the ice
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
10) showed. Now he was a new beginning and a new coach that won’t put up with any BS. Nazem must have a good year or he is toast. This is
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
11) his chance. He did not go to arbitration which is good. Accepted a 1 year contract to show his commitment and the Leafs said show us
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
12) and we’ll give you more years, screw around and this will be your last year. I like the idea, I like the signing. The Leafs have said
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
13) said it’s up to you Nazem and Kadri said “I’ll do it”. I look for Nazem to go back to that attitude he had when he showed up full of
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
14) vim and vigor. Cocky, but in the right way.
— Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerDC) July 6, 2015
RELATED: Analyzing the Return for Phil Kessel
[catlist categorypage=”yes” numberposts=3 excludeposts=this]
Sign up for The Hockey Writers’ Toronto Maple Leafs newsletter.