Blues' HC Craig Berube Comments on His 'No Comment' Remark RE: Nazem Kadri Harassment

The buzz around Nazem Kadri & the vitriol he has received in the past week needs little introduction at this point. But stories like this often bring outside complications that require explanation, begrudgingly or otherwise. Figures from every corner of the hockey world voiced their support for Kadri & their contempt for those spewing racist & xenophobic hate in his direction. At this point, it's almost a formality. So when someone fails to deliver in this area, the dogpiling commences.

St. Louis Blues Head Coach Craig Berube was asked about the situation only a day removed & offered a simple 'no comment.' Now where I come from, 'no comment' simply means a party is not interested in commenting for any number of reasons. For others, silence equals acceptance. To each their own. But In Chief's case, he's got a lot on his plate. NHL Head Coaches face unknown levels of stress as it is, so Berube likely wanted to stay focused on the task at hand; winning a series. Also, he's not exactly qualified to speak on rising racial tensions, so is his perspective absolutely pertinent? As it were, he was criticized for his lack of vocal sympathy towards Kadri & today released a follow-up statement:

"I'm not on social media. I was aware of a threat made to Nazem, not the racist stuff. In no way is it acceptable by the St. Louis Blues or anybody else for him to have to go through that. Being a Native American myself, I've heard it all, I've been around it. It's not a good thing. So I just wanted to get that out there that there's no room for it anywhere.»

Berube is a Cree/Metís Native American to boot, so he can probably attest to overcoming these types of problems firsthand. As the Avalanche & Kadri's adversary at the moment, his take on the situation might hold a greater significance than most, but he hardly bares the weight of the situation on his shoulders. So for those criticizing Berube's words as performative & substantively lacking, I'd argue that his initial 'no comment' was sufficient.

However, given the period of time we all live in it's no surprise. Game 5 in Colorado takes place tonight (Wednesday).

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