Father Time has not slowed down Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares.
Now in his 17th season, Tavares, who at 35 years of age is at a stage where players usually slow down, is off to a strong start, which this season has seen the former 2009 New York Islanders first overall pick score six goals along with 16 points in his first 13 games.
In what was a magical month of October, Tavares wrote another chapter in his Hall of Fame career when he accomplished two big milestones, starting on Saturday, October 18, when, during a 4-overtime loss at Scotiabank Arena against the Seattle Kraken, he scored two goals, which puts him in an exclusive club of hitting the 500-point plateau with two different teams.
Before signing as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2018, with the Leafs, Tavares spent nine seasons with the Islanders, where he scored 621 points (272 goals, 349 assists) before coming to the Leafs and with his two goals, eclipsing 500 points with them to join an exclusive club consisting of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Ron Francis as the only players to have hit this milestone with two different teams.
“Obviously, being able to play for two great franchises and having the success I’ve had, I think that speaks volumes for my teammates, coaches, people that have been around me and everyone who has been part of the journey,” Tavares said. “So, I’ve really enjoyed it and just want to keep it going.”
Days later, on October 29th to be precise, during a 6-3 loss at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tavares became only the 49th NHLer to ever eclipse 500 career goals, which he did in the third period against Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins.
“It’s amazing,” Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said about the accomplishment. “I can’t say enough great things about Johnny, the person that he is, the teammate, the professional, the guy that shows up to the rink every day and is one of the hardest workers, takes care of himself in all different ways. So I feel very lucky to call him a great friend, a teammate, a guy that all of us are extremely happy for. Tonight’s a big accomplishment.”
Currently, Tavares is tied with Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald for 48th spot on the NHL’s goal scoring list with 500. Next on the list is another Hockey Hall of Famer in forward Joe Mullen, who scored 502 goals.
Another great October achievement for Tavares occurred on October 21st at Scotiabank Arena, where, during a 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils, his first-period goal made history as he leapfrogged another Hall of Famer in former Leafs captain Darryl Sittler and, with 1,122 points became the NHL’s 65th all-time leading scorer.
During his career, Tavares has played in six NHL All-Star Games (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019) and was named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 2015.
Tavares, who is on the cusp of 1,200 career games, has never won an individual NHL trophy or the Stanley Cup. However, on the international circuit, he helped Team Canada win 2008 and 2009 World Junior World gold before winning Olympic gold five years later with Team Canada at the 2014 Sochi games.
Last June, Tavares signed a four-year contract extension, which runs until the 2028-29 season.
By that time, Tavares could be close to 600 goals and 1,400 points, which are definitely hall of fame numbers.