Blues HC Craig Berube addresses threats to Avalanche center Nazem Kadri

The St. Louis Blues have a deep hole to dig themselves out of in their Western Conference semifinals series against the Colorado Avalanche, trailing 3-1. Game 5 takes place on Wednesday night, and as the Blues prepare for an elimination contest, head coach Craig Berube took some time to address another story that has dominated plenty of headlines over the past few days.

ESPN senior NHL writer Greg Wyshynski reported on Sunday that the Avalanche were working with St. Louis law enforcement regarding threats made towards Colorado center Nazem Kadri, who is a Muslim of Lebanese descent. The threats stem from Blues goalie Jordan Binnington suffering a series-ending lower-body injury after a nasty collision involving Kadri in Game 3 on Saturday.

"I’m not on social media. I was aware of a threat made to Nazem, not the racist stuff," Berube said on Wednesday. "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."

Following St. Louis' loss in Game 3, Berube discussed the crash between Binnington and Kadri, saying "Look at Kadri's reputation. That's all I've got to say." The former first-round pick has had multiple playoff suspensions, including an eight-game ban for an illegal check to the head of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in 2021.

When asked on Monday about the threats being made to Kadri, Berube had no comment. There was no penalty called on Kadri following the play in question, and the league's Department of Player Safety determined there was no supplemental discipline necessary for him.

In the Avalanche's Game 4 win on Monday, Kadri posted a hat trick.