June 29, 2009, NHL Draft story for Metro NY Newspaper and draft report card
One man is an Island
NHL entry draft recap: Islanders take Tavares No. 1 overall
NHL.
The John Tavares era began Friday night on Long Island. Whether that era is filled with Stanley Cups or not remains to be seen.
The Islanders, last season’s worst team, used the first overall pick in the NHL entry draft to select the 18-year-old phenom as its savior.
“I definitely have the support of the fans and the community. That’s huge,” Tavares told reporters Friday night in Montreal. “I’m very thankful to be going there and I appreciate the opportunity to be part of Long Island. It’s going to be great and I can’t wait to get things going knowing where it’s headed. It’s going to be a great future for all of us.”
Islanders general manager Garth Snow certainly hopes so. Snow pulled the trigger on Tavares after much deliberation but said he would have regretted passing up such an “offensive talent.”
And that’s exactly what Tavares is. In four seasons with the Oshawa Generals and London Knights, Tavares became the Ontario Hockey League’s all-time leading scorer with 215 goals. As a 16-year-old, he broke Wayne Gretzky’s then-OHL record for goals scored at that age with 72. This past season, which was split between Oshawa and London, Tavares led the OHL with 104 points (58 goals, 46 assists) in 55 games.
Along with his goal-scoring prowess, Tavares will instantly become the public face of a franchise that has needed one since Pat LaFontaine was traded to Buffalo in 1991.
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:42 AM
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