Binnington on throwing water bottle at Kadri: 'It was a God-given opportunity'
Ask anyone that’s been around the game of hockey and they’ll tell you that goalies are awfully strange creatures. St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is no exception.
With the Blues hosting their postseason press conferences on Tuesday, the Richmond Hill, Ont., native shared what was going through his mind when he tossed a water bottle at Nazem Kadri earlier this month. The 28-year-old was injured on a play where Kadri and a St. Louis defenceman tumbled into the crease, bringing Binnington's playoff run to a premature end.
“I went to get my knee checked out mid-game. I was coming back to the rink, and the game just ended. Walking down the hallway, I couldn't find a recycling bin on my way down the hallway,” Binnington told reporters.
“Right before I walked into the locker room, I saw him kind of doing an interview there, smiling, laughing and I'm there in a knee brace limping down the hallway. I just felt like it was a God-given opportunity,” he added.
"It was a God-given opportunity."
Jordan Binnington explains what went down when he threw a water bottle at Nazem Kadri following Game 3 of the Blues-Avs series.
(📹: @StLouisBlues) pic.twitter.com/ZQcaNK6sv6— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) May 31, 2022
The bizarre justification from Binnington received widespread ridicule on social media, as fans expressed their befuddlement with the goaltender’s godly invocation.
Jordan Binnington is the softest dude lmao https://t.co/WfN0sqO4Ps
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) May 31, 2022
Binnington acting like throwing something at a player on another team is some righteous & earned thing and part of normal competition is something! Oops guess it's fine because the bottle was empty & I missed anyway!! https://t.co/mN8VK1hVD3
— Rachel (@rmiriam) May 31, 2022
Binnington when he sees a chance to be a dickhead: “this is a god-given opportunity” https://t.co/jfQ3gi3R2y
— tak | ctsw (@popunkprettyboy) May 31, 2022
God handing Jordan Binnington a water bottle to weakly throw at his enemies. https://t.co/7qEdHCKpAA pic.twitter.com/2FwcY4xQRk
— Local Idiot (@BuraGOATsky65) May 31, 2022
The broader Kadri-Binnington incident ultimately escalated much further than the two players, with Kadri receiving death threats and racist attacks prior to his Game 4 hat trick heroics.
This incident is by no means the first time Binnington’s maturity has been brought into question. Prior to these playoffs, you only need to go back to October of this season, when Binnington received a 10-minute misconduct for swinging his stick at Kadri’s head.
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