The captain of the American hockey club will never be a random person: one whom coaches cannot trust and who cannot turn their teammates into a difficult moment. The current captain of the New York Islanders is a leader both on the ice and in ordinary life. So who is striker John Tavares?
Hockey biography
The future leader of the New York team was born in the Canadian city of Mississauga, near Ontario, on September 20, 1990 in a family of immigrants. His mother is Polish, and his father is Portuguese. From early childhood it was clear that the future NHL star was growing in the family. Canada (hockey in this country is considered a national sport), saw many talented children who never turned into professional hockey players. But John clearly knew what he wanted in life, and stubbornly walked towards the goal.
His game in children's teams attracted attention, and since the age of 14, managers of hockey clubs have been closely watching the professional growth of the young man. Across the ocean, it has been decided from an early age to support young talents, help them in their careers and raise real Olympic champions from them.
First club
One of the first hockey clubs where John Tavares started playing was the Oshawa Generals, which represented the Ontario Hockey League. Here John spent four years and showed very good results. During this period, he twice crossed the line of performance of 100 points. These seasons for him were 2006/07 - 134 points, and 2007/08 - 114 points scored for the season.
John Tavares was looking forward to his coming of age, because this date opened his way to the NHL. Indeed, despite such high rates and the requests of some managers, he was not allowed to draft 2008: he was a little short until he was 18 years old, and in the NHL the law is the same for everyone.
Career in the NHL
John Tavares is a hockey player who clearly follows a given course and does not pay attention to the difficulties that are sure to meet in the path of any athlete. And here is the long-awaited first draft in 2009. The first number, and according to the draw, the hockey player went to the New York Islanders club. Many managers were very jealous of New Yorkers, who were lucky to grab such a tidbit of a hockey cake in the form of a talented striker. The three-year contract, signed in July 2009 with the club, imposed certain obligations on the young player, and it should be noted that he fully met the expectations of the team management.
During these years, John Tavares increased his results from season to season, and as a result, the contract was renewed. The team from New York on Tavares had far-reaching plans.
John Tavares - statistics
For the first season in the “New York Islanders” John scored 54 points, and in the 2011/12 season - 81 scoring points on the “goal + pass” system. In the final season, he reaches a result of 86 points. Progress is evident. This dedication of the young striker could not be ignored, and at the age of 23 he becomes the captain of the club (2013).
Good results were shown by John, speaking for the national team of the country, where he began to attract him at a fairly young age. At the international level, he also scored goals and made assists. At that time, Mark Messier, who was involved in the selection of youth for the national team, decided to give more space to young hockey players, and John was one of the five lucky ones that Canada chose. Hockey at the 2010 World Cup, Tavares showed excellent and scored 7 goals in 7 games.
A year later, John leaves with the national team for the World Cup in Slovakia, where he is already gaining 9 points for the tournament. In general statistics, this is only fifth place, but in the Canadian national team this is the best result among all the players.
Well, the Winter Olympics in Sochi (2014) was a triumph for the young striker. As part of the national team, John Tavares becomes the Olympic champion. Despite a knee injury in the quarterfinal match and inability to continue to participate in the tournament, he still received the medal, and very deservedly.
The path that John Tavares has traveled is not as long as many of his eminent compatriots, but the value of this player is that he builds momentum from season to season. Canadian fans compare him to young Wayne Gretzky and Canadian hockey legend Gordy Howe. Who knows, perhaps this New York Islanders striker will be able to come close to the records of great hockey players, because his career is in full swing and John has no plans to give up hockey.