John Tavares - the 14th captain of the "New York Islanders"

The captain of the American hockey club will never become a casual person: someone who can not be trusted by coaches and who does not know how to put his shoulder in a difficult moment to his teammates. The current captain of the New York Islanders is a leader on both ice and ordinary life. So who is this striker John Tavares?

Biography of the hockey player

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 the earliest childhood it was clear that the future NHL star is 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 with persistence went to achieve the goal.

His play in the children's teams attracted attention, and from the age of 14 the young managers were closely watched by the managers of the hockey clubs. Over the ocean it is customary to support young talents from the earliest years, to help them in their careers and grow from them real Olympic champions.

The first club

One of the first hockey clubs, where John Tavares started playing, was "Oshawa Generali", which represented the Hockey League of Ontario. Here John spent four years and showed very good results. During this period, he twice crossed the milestone of 100 points. Such seasons for him were 2006/07 - 134 points, and 2007/08 - 114 points gained for the season.

John Tavares eagerly awaited his age, because this date opened the way for him in the NHL. After all, even despite such high rates and requests of some managers, he was not admitted to the draft of 2008: a little was not enough till 18 years, and in the NHL the law is the same for all.

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 necessarily 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 went to the club "New York Islanders". Many managers then strongly envied New Yorkers, who were lucky to snatch such a tidbit of hockey pie 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 justified the expectations of the leadership of the team.

During these years, John Tavares increased his results from season to season, and as a result, the contract was extended. The team from New York to Tavares had far-reaching plans.

John Tavares - statistics

For the first season in the "New York Islanders" John is gaining 54 points, and already in the season 2011/12 - 81 scoring points for the system "goal + pass." In the final season, he goes to the 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 showed John, speaking for the national team of the country, where he began to attract in a fairly young age. At the international level, he also threw pucks and made assists. At that time, Mark Messier, who was engaged in the selection of young people in the national team, decided to give more space to young hockey players, and John became one of the five lucky winners whom Canada chose. Hockey in the World Cup in 2010 Tavares showed excellent and scored 7 goals in 7 games.

A year later, John goes with the team to the World Cup in Slovakia, where the tournament is gaining 9 points. In the overall statistics this is only the fifth place, but in the Canadian team this is the best result among all players.

Well, the Winter Olympics in Sochi (2014) became for the young attacking triumphant. As part of the national team, John Tavares becomes an Olympic champion. Despite the injured knee in the quarterfinal match and the inability to continue participating in the tournament, he still got the medal, and very deservedly.

The path that John Tavares has passed is not as long as that of many of his eminent compatriots, but the value of this player is that he builds up the turns from season to season. Canadian fans compare him to the young Wayne Gretzky and the legend of Canadian hockey Gordie Howe. Who knows, perhaps, this attacker from the "New York Islanders" will be able to come close to the records of the great hockey players, because his career is in full swing, and John does not plan to throw hockey yet.