Five years ago, John Tavares made his return to Nassau Coliseum against the New York Islanders in an unforgettable game.
Five years ago, John Tavares made his return to Nassau Coliseum against the New York Islanders in an unforgettable game.
Five years ago today, former New York Islanders captain John Tavares made his return with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After Tavares left during the previous offseason despite comments stating he wanted to stay on Long Island, 13,917 fans packed the Nassau Coliseum to speak their minds:
Feb. 28, 2019, was a date circled on Islanders fans' calendars since the day he left.
The game, originally scheduled to be played at Barclays Center, was moved to the Coliseum as part of the Islanders' splitting time before UBS Arena opened, only adding to the anticipation.
The fans were on Tavares' case as early as warmups, greeting him rudely as he stepped on the ice for warmups, along with signs and early chants.
Those words from the crowd only got louder as the game began.
Once the game began, it was a laugher in the Islanders' favor.
The Maple Leafs got a goal from Zach Hyman over 13 minutes in, but the rest was all Islanders.
Six different Islanders found the back of the net, with the Islanders' new captain, Anders Lee, potting the game-winner early in the second. In fact, 14 different skaters tallied at least a point in the affair, with Robin Lehner making 34 saves.
Tavares got his revenge in the late stages of the season, as he potted the game-winning goal on April 1, 2019, in the Maple Leafs' final visit to the Coliseum.
However, come playoff time, the Islanders once again proved the doubters wrong, advancing past the Pittsburgh Penguins in sweeping fashion; Tavares' Maple Leafs fell in the first round to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
All these years later, Tavares now has 14 games against New York under his belt.
While he has six goals and five assists against his former team, including his 1,000th NHL point, that Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum is one that Islandes fans and Tavares will never forget.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5MgCw7gyCQ[/embed]