Any time a team like the Avalanche — a squad that’s been on the brink of glory for years — wins the Stanley Cup, there will be more than a few stories of vindication. Usually, these stories fall into a few camps.
There are the young, great players getting what will probably be the first of many flowers. There are the established, consistent veterans who have been waiting for their moment of hockey ecstasy for years. And then there are those talented guys who people have unfairly maligned throughout their careers.
In this case: that’s Colorado’s Nazem Kadri. While he eventually got to hoist the Cup, it was a challenging postseason for the 31-year-old center (on top of an already challenging career).
