Nazem Kadri opens up on infamous Mike Babcock-Mitch Marner list incident

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Oct 09, 2024 17:24 GMT

Nazem Kadri's new book, "Dreamer: My Life On The Edge," comes out on October 15. In it, he talks about coach Mike Babcock's controversial actions while coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs.

During the 2016-17 season, Babcock asked rookie Mitch Marner to make a list ranking his teammates based on their work ethic. This incident became well-known when Marner confirmed it in 2019 after the Maple Leafs fired Babcock. Kadri, who played for Toronto for ten years, and teammate Tyler Bozak confronted Babcock about the list.

"He tried to defend what he'd done, to explain the thought process behind the exercise," Kadri wrote in his book.

Kadri said Babcock tried to explain his reasons for the exercise. But Kadri believed Babcock realized he made a mistake and later apologized to Marner. He wrote:

“You just don’t do that to a rookie.”

However, it did not end there, Kadri recalled that Babcock asked trainers to rank players based on their gym effort and discussed these rankings in front of the entire team. Kadri said:

“The whole point was to embarrass guys,” which led to awkward moments.

After leaving the Maple Leafs, Babcock became the coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023. He resigned after two months when he asked to see players' personal photos on their phones.

In his book, Nazem Kadri shared his views on his relationship with Babcock. He felt Babcock helped him improve as a player. However, he disagreed with some of Babcock's coaching methods.

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Nazem Kadri is expected to play an important role for the Flames this season

The Calgary Flames are currently in a rebuilding phase, and Nazem Kadri was important for the Flames last season, leading the team with 75 points. His skills and experience are crucial for Calgary this year.

The Flames prepared for the 2024-25 season with several preseason games. First, they faced Seattle Kraken and won 6-1. Next, they took on Edmonton Oilers in a split squad matchup, securing victories in both games with scores of 6-3 and 6-1.

Following that, they played the Vancouver Canucks twice, winning one game 4-2 but losing the other 4-3. Then, they played Kraken again and won with a score of 4-3. Finally, they concluded their run with two losses to the Winnipeg Jets, losing 3-2 at home and 5-2 away.

Nazem Kadri signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Flames after winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.