In a very cool moment, Avs present Nazem Kadri with his Stanley Cup ring

The Colorado Avalanche lost to the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Thursday night.

Oh well.

The NHL schedule makers didn’t do the Avs any favors out of the gate, putting them on a tough back-to-back in Canada to start the season. A night after beating the Blackhawks 5-2 and raising their championship banner, Colorado looked flat. They got down 5-1 before a late rally made the final score seem a little better.

But in an 82-game grind, losses are going to happen. And in this case, the game isn’t the story. It’s what happened after.

Stanley Cup hero Nazem Kadri was presented his championship ring by the Avalanche in the locker room, and a couple of pictures the Flames shared are awesome.

A night he won't ever forget ❤️ pic.twitter.com/8hQEvbL3Wq

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 14, 2022

Just look at those smiles from Kadri and Nathan MacKinnon! You know they’re all still buddies, and the Avalanche simply couldn’t afford to keep Kadri. He signed a lucrative deal with the Flames late in the offseason, securing life changing money for him and his family.

Kadri had some unbelievable moments for the Avs in the playoffs, including a hat trick in St. Louis and a game-winning goal against Tampa Bay in OT. That tally put the Avalanche up 3-1 in the Final, and just one win from the Cup. They’d eventually secure it in Game 6 back down in Florida.

Avs fans will never forget Kadri, and neither will his former teammates. It’s nice they were able to do this gesture early in the season, and it trumps a relatively meaningless game in October.

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