The art of the chirp: NHL players on what makes a good trash-talker, just in time for the season

TORONTO (AP) — 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.

“I’ve had my fair share,” he told the Canadian Press. “You just gotta be on your toes. You just gotta be clever. Sometimes someone will say something and you’ll be like, ‘Oh, that was pretty good.‘ It definitely makes things interesting.”

But what makes a good trash-talker? Is it doing a deep dive into an opponent’s past in search of that stinging nugget of information? Or a heat-of-the-moment zinger?

“Guys who are just quick and witty,” Carolina forward Seth Jarvis said. “I trip over my words and nothing good comes out. It’s fun listening to guys that are almost like a smartass … stuff that comes out naturally.”