TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Nazem Kadri has been involved in more than a few verbal sparring matches and the Calgary forward certainly knows how to dish it out during any on-ice war of words.
鈥淚鈥檝e had my fair share,鈥� he told the Canadian Press. 鈥淵ou just gotta be on your toes. You just gotta be clever. Sometimes someone will say something and you鈥檒l be like, 鈥極h, that was pretty good.鈥� It definitely makes things interesting.鈥�
But what makes a good trash-talker? Is it doing a deep dive into an opponent鈥檚 past in search of that stinging nugget of information? Or a heat-of-the-moment zinger?
鈥淕uys who are just quick and witty,鈥� Carolina forward Seth Jarvis said. 鈥淚 trip over my words and nothing good comes out. It鈥檚 fun listening to guys that are almost like a smartass 鈥� stuff that comes out naturally.鈥�
Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey said opponents with knowledge of a players鈥� career or an embarrassing moment are the ones that sting.
鈥淭hey have got a book,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e ready to go.鈥�
He added the confidence and skill to try to get someone off their game by talking trashisn鈥檛 in everyone鈥檚 arsenal.
鈥淭he best guys are willing to back it up,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 definitely not a chirper, but the guys that do 鈥� there鈥檚 some pretty charismatic guys in our league.鈥�
Montreal winger Cole Caufield said it鈥檚 鈥渟cary鈥� how some players will go down an internet rabbit hole to gather dirt. New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes said the hockey world is a small one, which adds to potential material.
鈥淓veryone knows everyone,鈥� he explained. 鈥淪ometimes it crosses the line, sometimes not. You gotta be quick. You gotta be snappy.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 not a big researcher,鈥� Toronto tough guy Ryan Reaves said. 鈥淟ike it off the cuff.鈥�
NHL players also know they have to be careful in an era where microphones are positioned around the rink 鈥� and even on players themselves. High-definition television cameras also mean fans can become amateur lip readers.
There was an example last season when Anaheim forward Trevor Zegras and then-Arizona defenseman Troy Stecher got into a war of words that morphed into rumors on social media.
鈥淭hings can always be misconstrued 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 accurate,鈥� Ducks winger Troy Terry said. 鈥淚t was a lesson where if you鈥檙e in the spotlight, those things can happen.鈥�
Morrissey said that rule also applies out of the spotlight.
鈥淎t the rink or away from the rink, there鈥檚 always someone with a phone,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd sometimes disingenuously trying to put you in a tough position.鈥�
Vegas center Jack Eichel said that comes with the territory in a wider world that鈥檚 undergone significant social change in the last few years.
鈥淵ou gotta be careful what you say not only on the ice, but anywhere,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of guys are mic鈥檇 up and that鈥檚 a great thing that our game does.鈥�
Boston captain Brad Marchand鈥檚 name came up repeatedly as one of the best trash-talkers. Terry said he had a memorable experience as a rookie in 2018-19 with Anaheim.
鈥淗e was all over me,鈥� Terry recalled of Marchand. 鈥淗e was like, 鈥楽eriously, you鈥檙e the call-up?鈥� He said that multiple times 鈥� he knew it was my first game back.鈥�
Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk said an accurate barb can sting: 鈥淭he worst is when you get chirped when you鈥檙e actually playing (crappy),. It just adds fuel to the fire. That鈥檚 when a chirp works.鈥�
Kadri said watching two players go toe-to-toe with colorful dialogue never loses its appeal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to be on the bench when someone鈥檚 getting into it,鈥� Kadri said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the wittiness and it鈥檚 the material. You gotta do your homework, you gotta know everything about who you鈥檙e going after. Within reason, of course.鈥�
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