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Toronto Maple Leafs: Why Is John Tavares Even at the Worlds?

By James Tanner

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 7: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the second period at the Scotiabank Arena on January 7, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 7: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the second period at the Scotiabank Arena on January 7, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs John Tavares has been injured at the World Championships.

According to multiple reports, the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise centre has hurt his obliques while training for the upcoming World Championships.

Hopefully this is a minor injury.

And hopefully, John Tavares is healthy and ready to go for training camp.

The World Championships

Regardless of the severity of the injury, the question that needs to be asked is why would the Leafs, or any hockey team, let their players go play in a meaningless exhibition tournament?

Do you care about the Worlds?

I sure as hell don’t.

The NHL is still on, and this tournament occurs simultaneously.  Every year teams that get eliminated early let their star players go play in a tournament that no one cares about.

The risk is that your player gets injured.  Hockey is a fast game where injuries can happen to anyone, and a career ending injury is only one bad lucky play away.

The reward for letting your $11 million dollar play during what is already an exhausting season that requires constant training and discipline?  Absolutely nothing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have nothing to gain from letting their players play.  They have everything to lose.

It’s a risk without a reward and it is objectively stupid.

I repeat: No one cares about the Worlds.

I don’t even think the NHL should let it’s players play in the Olympics.  The same principles apply.  But the Olympics are at least something people care about (although I don’t know why, either Canada bullies a bunch of lesser teams, and leaves a roster at home that would be the second best in the tournament, or they get beat in an un-lucky upset and everyone becomes overwrought for no reason.

The Olympics are stupid (and corrupt, and way for billionaires to enrich themselves at the expense of athletes and tax dollars) but I digress.

The Worlds are EXTREMELY stupid.  I would love to hear a team’s rationale for letting their players do this.  Your 14 year old son might want to drive your car, but you don’t let him.

But even if the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t care, I really have to wonder at the motivation of a multi millionaire to work during his off-season, for free.  I know that Tavares usually just sits in a charging dock until next season is ready to start, but at least he won’t get hurt there.

Canadian pride? Jeez I hope not.  That’s just not a good enough reason to risk a Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Next. Leafs Should Trade for This Defenseman. dark

You want to help your country? Start a campaign about media literacy.  You want to play hockey in the summer?  Buy a Playstation.

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