Player Discussion: #TavaresWatch: It's Over. Thomas Hickey, come get the Stanley Cup! (Warning #2834)

[Satan'sIsland81]

I will tell you the part that really rubbed me the wrong way in that MSG conference call. Up until the last few minutes, Tavares sounded emotional, although that was probably as much of an act as the last 9 years was. However, when the question about the Isles fans came up, his response started "I cant worry...," and then you can tell he thought better of what he was about to say. But clearly he was thinking I cannot worry about what Isles fans think. That is the way he thinks of us after nine years of cheering him. All the MVP chants, all the "John Tavares" chants, he cant worry about how we feel.
And from that point on, do you notice his voice changed, it became much more defiant. Especially during that part when he kept saying HE did the best he could, HE did all that he could, multiple times.

 

[KidThatWonTheCalder]

But in the meantime, any win that team gets will be like little knives if our backs. F him.

No it won't... Any BIG win will be like a BIG knife in my back. I don't care about the regular season with them... If they have any real postseason success, I'll feel it, but they won't cause they're still the Leafs.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

It feels like every fan base hates Tavares now except the Leafs and Rangers

On behalf of Carolina fans (just myself really), we hope Tavares loses a step and turns into Dany Heatley 2.0. Screw him.

 

[Barz1]

Stan is such an easy going and funny guy... I've never heard him get flustered like that before, so you know he was fuming. He truly loved JT, too, so I'm sure this is really hard on him.

Stan is a great guy and funny as heck ! Had the pleasure of meeting him April 24th at a speech he gave in Brooklyn - I asked him about JT, and he told me that he didn't feel there was any way that he would be back because he didn't feel like the team was going to win any time soon - also told me that if anywhere but LI, it would be Toronto - obviously, he didn't feel like JT would handle this like such a d-bag !

 

[PWJunior]

On behalf of Carolina fans (just myself really), we hope Tavares loses a step and turns into Dany Heatley 2.0. Screw him.

Ain't no half steppin... you're The Big Daddy Cane!

 

[Lame Lambert]

On behalf of Carolina fans (just myself really), we hope Tavares loses a step and turns into Dany Heatley 2.0. Screw him.

How DARE you compare that snake to The f***ing Allstar. Tavares never has and never will score 50 in ‘07.

 

[BTrotts19]

I haven't read thru the thread to see if this has been brought up but if the past week was "the hardest thing he's ever had to experience" how the f*** is this guy gonna survive the fishbowl of Toronto hockey media for seven years? He can't possibly think he's gonna get a pass, like he did from our 1 1/2 reporters here. Dude is gonna be a basket case if he's that fragile

 

[Duanesutter12]

I swear to god I just came to the site to change my name to "TheKidThatWonTheCalder" and you beat me to it!! Well done my good friend, well done!

This could very easily happen... All you need is a checkbook, which we have.

 

[Hunn]

I thought that the "childhood dream" of every ice hockey player (at least from North America) is to make it to the NHL and to lead his team to Stanley Cup. Like what Lemieux did in laughingstock-at-that-time Pittsburgh and what Yzerman did in laughingstock-at-that-time Detroit. Probably this is what eventually separates Lemieux and Yzerman from Lindros and Tavares.

 

[SCMURRAY]

I'm still surprised we haven't heard a single thing from any of the players....I know none of them are going to go on twitter and roast him, but the fact that no one has done the obvious "professional" thing and said "Best of Luck" speaks volumes of how the players see the situation.

 

[Costigan77]

I'm still surprised we haven't heard a single thing from any of the players....I know none of them are going to go on twitter and roast him, but the fact that no one has done the obvious "professional" thing and said "Best of Luck" speaks volumes of how the players see the situation.

He just decided they weren't worth it. How would you feel?

 

[NittanyIsle]

That MSG audio somehow pisses me off even more about this. He's just so full of shit. The leafs beat are throwing softballs in there, and then you've got Stan hammering him. Stan was the only guy who had the stones to ask tough questions.

I don't think he feels any bone of sympathy towards us as fans or our organization. His actions tell the story. As to the fans comment, you can tell he's seen twitter. I don't think he expected the backlash to be this bad. And really, it's universally bad...not just from the Island.

 

[KidThatWonTheCalder]

I haven't read thru the thread to see if this has been brought up but if the past week was "the hardest thing he's ever had to experience" how the **** is this guy gonna survive the fishbowl of Toronto hockey media for seven years? He can't possibly think he's gonna get a pass, like he did from our 1 1/2 reporters here. Dude is gonna be a basket case if he's that fragile

Absolutely... He's never gonna make it in Toronto. He's got 2-3 years to win a cup until that whole group (Nylander/Matthews/Marner) is broken up and then it'll be WW3 against him. Hope he's ready for it.

I swear to god I just came to the site to change my name to "TheKidThatWonTheCalder" and you beat me to it!! Well done my good friend, well done!

 

[Lame Lambert]

I love how Stan didn’t even congratulate him. The guy doesn’t give a single f*** anymore.

 

[Instant]

I pointed out that his actions — or non actions — hurt his former team but, in response, he preferred focusing on his feelings.

You can tell Stan is pissed off.

The whole thing can be read here: Tavares Takes Stand on Departure

 

[DVon Du Nord]

I'm not even going to go to their board but all my Ranger fan friends are not JT fans.. and I hate their sympathy.

Same, I've gotten messages from a few Ranger fans that see this entire thing the way we do. If that's not justification I don't know what it. At least a couple of them naturally mentioned they thought he was a **** since 2009, so at least they weren't completely sympathetic so you know it's truthful.

 

[KidThatWonTheCalder]

That MSG audio somehow pisses me off even more about this. He's just so full of ****. The leafs beat are throwing softballs in there, and then you've got Stan hammering him. Stan was the only guy who had the stones to ask tough questions.

I don't think he feels any bone of sympathy towards us as fans or our organization. His actions tell the story. As to the fans comment, you can tell he's seen twitter. I don't think he expected the backlash to be this bad. And really, it's universally bad...not just from the Island.

The fact he had that picture with him in his Leafs skivvies ready so quickly says it all... Wait a day, dude. Have some class.

 

[PWJunior]

Let him ask himself that question for the rest of his natural life. Let him ask himself that question 2 years from now, when the Leafs haven't won a Cup and his game has slowed down. When he can't turn on the radio without hearing a DJ criticize his game or openly speculate who the Leafs could trade him to. When HFBoards is full of "Tavares back to the Islanders" proposals by Leaf fans who are aghast and insulted we won't trade Dobson, Wahlstrom, and a 2021 1st to bring JT back.

He made his bed, he chose to lay in it. He could have easily handled this process where we'd have an unironic "John Tavares Appreciation Thread", and general sadness but eventual understanding. Instead he goes full Chidi Anagonye and lets his indecisiveness hurt nearly everybody in the world that gave a damn about him.

The mods should make that appreciation thread, sticky it, and then immediately lock it. Leave it up there the rest of the offseason and next season.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

On behalf of Carolina fans (just myself really), we hope Tavares loses a step and turns into Dany Heatley 2.0. Screw him.

I love all of the Carolina fans on HF. Weird because they are also in the Metro, but love em just the same.

 

[periferal]

You have Oliver Ekman-Larsson extending at July 1 with the Arizona freakin' Coyotes who have been the joke of the league for years. Why? Because for some odd reason, he wanted to stay there. It tells me that Tavares had his eyes set on being a Maple Leaf for a while. If you genuinely want to stay, you go out of your way to do it. Yes, Snow & Co. screwed the pooch as usual, but that didn't have to stop Tavares and his camp to go to Snow and tell him that you want to start negotiating.

100% correct. "Oliver Ekman-Larsson extending at July 1 with the Arizona freakin' Coyotes," so how blind to you have to be when it was January and Tavares hadn't signed with the team he claims to "love?"

Wake up Malkin. You got fooled by wang into a "trial period" where he gave snow an extension, and you sat there and let JT/Brisson do whatever they wanted while all other superstars were resigning with their respective teams.

Time for you to say, "F everyone else...I am going to protect this franchise."

 

[CodeE]

I love all of the Carolina fans on HF. Weird because they are also in the Metro, but love em just the same.

If you try to attack Carolina HFCanes just hits you with memes and sarcasm. How are you supposed to fight an enemy like that?

 

[KidThatWonTheCalder]

The only interesting thing I have that came out of this is Dubas... Talk about a crazy story. You're gonna trust a 30-something year old guy as the GM of your team? I know he was great with the Greyhounds and the Marlies, but that's a crazy career trajectory.

 

[Slapshot76]

Is it ok that I just parked next to a Chevy Traverse and it made me mad?

 

[dstoffa]

Stan ended his Tweet with "Just wondering, pal."

Dropping a "pal" in a Tweet is amazing. Especially from an 86 year old who is supposedly retired.

His New Yorkese shines through....

 

[macleod50]

I enjoyed The Hockey Cyborg's forced emotional pauses and crocodile tears during the conference call. Kudos to Stan for not letting him off the hook.

I loved the softball "how old were you in that Twitter picture?"