Tavares recorded his 1,000th NHL point against the New York Islanders on Dec. 11.
Tavares recorded his 1,000th NHL point against the New York Islanders on Dec. 11.
NEW YORK — The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to honor their captain next week.
The club will hold a pre-game ceremony for John Tavares on Dec. 19 when the club hosts the New York Rangers at Scotiabank Arena to celebrate his 1,000th NHL point.
Tavares became the 98th player in NHL history to reach the career milestone on Monday when he picked up the secondary assist on Morgan Rielly's goal in a 4-3 overtime loss against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
The Maple Leafs defeated the Rangers 7-3 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Tavares picked up his 1,001st NHL point on Toronto's third goal when he picked up the primary assist in Calle Jarnkrok's goal that made it 3-1 in the first period.
The club has a pair of games at home until the 19th so there's no telling what Tavares' point total will be at that time.
Tavares, selected first overall by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft, spent his first nine seasons with the New York club before electing to join his hometown Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2018. The first 621 points of his career came on Long Island.
When he celebrated on the ice, the club flashed a graphic to honor their former player for his achievement, even though it came with a loud chorus of boos from Islanders fans who are still hurt about their former captain leaving the club in 2018.
Tavares has eight goals and 18 assists in 26 games this season.
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