John Tavares has emphatically put a stamp on what will likely be his last season of junior hockey by netting a hat trick today, including the game winner to propel the London Knights to a 4-3 victory over the powerhouse Windsor Spitfires. Before we talk about that, let’s get to know a bit more about John.
The eighteen year old phenom from Oakville, Ontario is poised to become yet another household name this coming June as he prepares to join the long line of Canadian 1st overall picks. Known for his sublime hockey sense and prolific goal scoring ability, some are already comparing the youngster to Mike Bossy, one of the best pure goal scorers to ever play the game. Tavares’ hockey resume is about as impressive as any to come along in a long, long time. Among his many presitigious awards: 2006 OHL Rookie of the Year, 2006 CHL Rookie of the Year, 2007 OHL Most Outstanding Player, 2007 CHL Player of the Year, U20 WJC Gold in 2008 and 2009, 2009 U20 WJC MVP, and a mind-boggling 72 goal, 134 point season as a 16 year old, just to name a few.
He’s been at the forefront of the hockey world since he was a little kid. And earlier this afternoon, Tavares pencilled his name into Canadian hockey history by capturing the Ontario Hockey League’s all-time goal scoring title, one of the OHL’s most distinguished and prized records. He tied the record early into the 1st period, and then later re-wrote the history books with his 2nd of the game with 7:02 left in the 3rd period. And nice guy that he is, John decided to clean up all the loose ends (since the Knights were playing a game after all), by capping off his impressive performance with a hat trick on the powerplay with less than 2 minutes to play to give London the victory. Tavares who now stands at 215 career goals, shattered the previous mark of 213 set by Peter Lee of the Ottawa 67’s over 3 decades ago from 1971-1976.
So the new all-time goal scoring leader of the OHL, an Ontario kid mind you, would also love to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, is primed to set the NHL on fire. Too bad he’s just out of reach.
Always a pleasure,
Alex Tran
alex.tran@www.mapleleafshotstove.com
