Hell hath no fury like a New York Islanders fan scorned.
On Thursday night, seven months of pent up, pure, unadulterated fury will be on full display at the Nassau Coliseum and wholeheartedly directed at the Toronto Maple Leafs bench. More specifically, at John Tavares.
The former golden boy that was supposed to lead the Islanders to the promised land after decades of wandering through the desert that is irrelevancy as a small-market club in the NHL makes his long-awaited return to the Coliseum, his first game back on Long Island after signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs back in July.
“I’m not trying to overthink it,” Tavares told reporters Tuesday. “I think I’m just going to try to go out there and be myself and play and just try to help the Maple Leafs. Obviously, it’s my first time back, it is what it is. Whatever reception I get, I’m just going to try to go out there and play.”
On the surface, it was a completely understandable decision. Tavares had an opportunity to go home and play for his boyhood team in the Maple Leafs after years of languishing on bad teams here in New York.
What Islanders fans will tell you is that it’s how it all went down that cut them to their core.
“There’s still resentment about the way John Tavares left the team, after months of saying that he wanted to remain an Islander,” Christian Arnold, managing editor of Islanders Insight, said. “Fans took that very personally and feel that he lied and betrayed them.”
During his final year with the Islanders before the fateful summer of free agency, the man who worked his way onto the franchise’s top-10 in goals, assists, and points over his nine years repeatedly stated his desire to stay an Islander for the entirety of his career
“I think I’ve always shown my commitment, my appreciation and my desire to play on Long Island,” Tavares said back in 2016. “I would love for that to continue for the long haul. I think you look at some of the greatest players in the game have been able to spend their entire career somewhere. I hope I’m in that same position.”
Sure, that quote might have been from three years ago, but his sentiments did not change much as free agency loomed in 2018.
“This is obviously where I hope to be. I’ve always stated that,” he said back in April, less than two months after he told the Islanders not to deal him at the trade deadline.
He then proceeded to keep the Islanders in the dark about his intentions when free agency began, withholding management to seriously pursue a backup plan should he leave.
And then he left.
Seven years, $77 million to join the Maple Leafs, all but leaving the Islanders for dead as reigning NHL Rookie of the Year Mathew Barzal was thrust into the spotlight as the new face of the franchise at just 21.
Yet here the Islanders are, seven months later with a Hall-of-Fame executive in Lou Lamoriello, a future Hall-of-Fame head coach Barry Trotz running the show, and a largely unchanged roster defying the odds without Tavares.
It included a December trip to Toronto where the Islanders made easy work of Tavares in their first-ever meeting which featured a Barzal hat-trick.
“We already kind of had that game, so as players, it’s already ‘been there, done that,'” captain Anders Lee said. “We’ve moved on a long time ago. We have a special group and we’ve done a lot of things together. All that outside stuff is going to happen, we just need the two points.”
The stacked Maple Leafs of Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander are steady on their course of contention with 80 points prior to their Wednesday night tilt with the Edmonton Oilers. With a far more underwhelming roster on paper, the Islanders have just one point fewer.
That’s what good structure and organization at the top will do for you.
Following a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night, the Islanders can officially turn their undivided attention to Tavares, a topic they have been asked about non-stop since July.
“It’s another game for us,” veteran winger Josh Bailey, who was teammates with Tavares for all nine of his seasons in New York, said. “Obviously, there’s a little more surrounding it with Johnny coming back and what have you. But I’m sure it will be an emotional night for him and some fans obviously. At the end of the day, there are still two big points on the line.”
“An emotional night,” might be an understatement from Bailey as the Nassau Coliseum is going to reach decibel levels committed to vitriol unheard for a hockey game in decades.
However, Lamoriello thinks Islanders fans should take it easy on Tavares.
“He had every right to make the decision he did…I hope [the booing] is re-thought,” Lamoriello said on WFAN. “I hope it’s the respect he should be getting…[He’s] a quality human being who served his years here extremely well and I hope that’s taken into consideration.”
It’s a noble idea, but it’s doubtful Islanders fans are going to have a change of heart on this one.
