John Tavares hasn't yet gotten around to getting his drivers license.
That's hardly normal behavior for a typical 16-year old.
Then again, it's not the typical 16-year-old who erases Wayne
Gretzky 's name from the record books, either.
When Tavares scored his 71st goal on Saturday for the Ontario
Hockey League's Oshawa Generals, he passed the remarkable
standard of 70 set in 1978 by the 16-year-old soon-to-be Great
One. On Sunday, the season's closing night in the OHL, Tavares
added a goal and three assists, driving his totals to 72-62-134 in 62
games, good for second place in the league scoring race behind
London's Patrick Kane (62-83-145).
Another Gretzky in the making? You can tap the brakes. But Tavares
has used this amazing season to establish himself as a potential NHL
tentpole in the mold of Sidney Crosby .
By way of comparison, the 16-year-old Crosby went 54-81-135 for
Rimouski in the run 'n' gun Quebec league. Tavares' 72 goals are the
most anyone of any age has scored in the OHL since 19-year-old
Ray Sheppard netted 81 for the Cornwall Royals in 1985-86.
In a league desperate for an infusion of marketable talent, the
thought of another marquee superstar coming so close on the heels
of Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin is tantalizing. Problem is, Tavares
is not coming soon enough. The 6-foot, 183-pound center isn't
eligible to start saving some struggling NHL franchise until the 2009
draft, although more than one scout has suggested that Tavares
would be the first overall pick this summer if the league would bend
its rules.
That's not going to happen, but it wouldn't be the first time if it did.
After Tavares scored 91 goals and 158 points as a minor midget
player in Toronto, he forced the OHL to craft a new policy in the
summer of 2005. Recognizing that the league might lose this gate
attraction to another league, the OHL created an "exceptional player"
rule that would allow those of special merit to be drafted as young
as 14, as opposed to the standard 16. The 15-year-old Tavares
proved himself worthy of the exemption, scoring 45 goals and 77
points against players up to five years his senior. That's five points
more than the previous record for a 15-year-old, set in 1964 by
Bobby Orr .
Despite the records and the growing acclaim, the youngster's life
hasn't been without its challenges. Tavares was devastated when he
failed to join the ranks of Eric Lindros ,Jason Spezza ,Jay
Bouwmeester and Crosby as the only 16-year-olds to make Team
Canada's roster for the World Junior Championships. And though the
Canadians did just fine without him -- they went undefeated on
their way to a third-consecutive gold medal -- this could go down
as the most legendary snub since Michael Jordan failed to make his
high school basketball team.
Like Jordan, Tavares wisely used the setback to re-focus his
approach. And while he scored nine goals and 15 points in his first
four contests after being cut, it was the other aspects of his game
where his efforts were particularly noticeable. He became a reliable
contributor on the penalty kill, and a far more responsible player in
his own zone. He ended the season at plus-25, a dramatic
improvement over his minus-13 mark as a rookie.
As with Gretzky and Crosby, the keys to Tavares' game are desire,
vision and hockey sense. But unlike those two, he's primarily a
finisher rather than a set-up artist. Despite having a build more like
Steve Yzerman than Todd Bertuzzi , Tavares fearlessly plows into the
high-potency scoring areas. Like Crosby, he has tremendous balance
that allows him to hold his position, and he may have even better
hands in tight.
And he's just 16.
In the next two years, there's going to be a lot of talk about Tavares.
You'll hear from some that he's wasting his time in the O, and that
he should go overseas to improve his game in one of the pro
leagues. And you'll hear from the skeptics that he's too small, too
slow or that he doesn't use the right brand of shampoo. Given
enough time, those types can find flaws in anyone's game.
Don't worry about them. Tavares is something special. It's going to
be fun just watching how much he improves before he gets to the
NHL.
That's hardly normal behavior for a typical 16-year old.
Then again, it's not the typical 16-year-old who erases Wayne
Gretzky 's name from the record books, either.
When Tavares scored his 71st goal on Saturday for the Ontario
Hockey League's Oshawa Generals, he passed the remarkable
standard of 70 set in 1978 by the 16-year-old soon-to-be Great
One. On Sunday, the season's closing night in the OHL, Tavares
added a goal and three assists, driving his totals to 72-62-134 in 62
games, good for second place in the league scoring race behind
London's Patrick Kane (62-83-145).
Another Gretzky in the making? You can tap the brakes. But Tavares
has used this amazing season to establish himself as a potential NHL
tentpole in the mold of Sidney Crosby .
By way of comparison, the 16-year-old Crosby went 54-81-135 for
Rimouski in the run 'n' gun Quebec league. Tavares' 72 goals are the
most anyone of any age has scored in the OHL since 19-year-old
Ray Sheppard netted 81 for the Cornwall Royals in 1985-86.
In a league desperate for an infusion of marketable talent, the
thought of another marquee superstar coming so close on the heels
of Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin is tantalizing. Problem is, Tavares
is not coming soon enough. The 6-foot, 183-pound center isn't
eligible to start saving some struggling NHL franchise until the 2009
draft, although more than one scout has suggested that Tavares
would be the first overall pick this summer if the league would bend
its rules.
That's not going to happen, but it wouldn't be the first time if it did.
After Tavares scored 91 goals and 158 points as a minor midget
player in Toronto, he forced the OHL to craft a new policy in the
summer of 2005. Recognizing that the league might lose this gate
attraction to another league, the OHL created an "exceptional player"
rule that would allow those of special merit to be drafted as young
as 14, as opposed to the standard 16. The 15-year-old Tavares
proved himself worthy of the exemption, scoring 45 goals and 77
points against players up to five years his senior. That's five points
more than the previous record for a 15-year-old, set in 1964 by
Bobby Orr .
Despite the records and the growing acclaim, the youngster's life
hasn't been without its challenges. Tavares was devastated when he
failed to join the ranks of Eric Lindros ,Jason Spezza ,Jay
Bouwmeester and Crosby as the only 16-year-olds to make Team
Canada's roster for the World Junior Championships. And though the
Canadians did just fine without him -- they went undefeated on
their way to a third-consecutive gold medal -- this could go down
as the most legendary snub since Michael Jordan failed to make his
high school basketball team.
Like Jordan, Tavares wisely used the setback to re-focus his
approach. And while he scored nine goals and 15 points in his first
four contests after being cut, it was the other aspects of his game
where his efforts were particularly noticeable. He became a reliable
contributor on the penalty kill, and a far more responsible player in
his own zone. He ended the season at plus-25, a dramatic
improvement over his minus-13 mark as a rookie.
As with Gretzky and Crosby, the keys to Tavares' game are desire,
vision and hockey sense. But unlike those two, he's primarily a
finisher rather than a set-up artist. Despite having a build more like
Steve Yzerman than Todd Bertuzzi , Tavares fearlessly plows into the
high-potency scoring areas. Like Crosby, he has tremendous balance
that allows him to hold his position, and he may have even better
hands in tight.
And he's just 16.
In the next two years, there's going to be a lot of talk about Tavares.
You'll hear from some that he's wasting his time in the O, and that
he should go overseas to improve his game in one of the pro
leagues. And you'll hear from the skeptics that he's too small, too
slow or that he doesn't use the right brand of shampoo. Given
enough time, those types can find flaws in anyone's game.
Don't worry about them. Tavares is something special. It's going to
be fun just watching how much he improves before he gets to the
NHL.
