John Tavares made his second trip to the Nassau Coliseum as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, and there were plenty of New York Islanders fans who showed they still haven’t gotten over the star center abandoning them. One guy in particular had an opportunity to vent his frustrations right in Tavares’ ear, and he took full advantage.
After Tavares was called for a slash early in the third period, an Islanders fan who was seated next to the penalty box absolutely unloaded on him. He called the former first overall pick a “traitor” and a “snake,” among many other things.
— KEITH LAVITT (@KEITHLAVITT) April 2, 2019
Isles fans have been furious for Tavares for the way he left the team in free agency last year. Before he signed a seven-year deal with the Maple Leafs to fulfill what he called a childhood dream, Tavares told the Islanders he wanted to remain with them. They could have gotten a massive haul for him in a trade if they knew he planned on leaving, but he ended up changing his mind.
Tavares returned to Long Island as a visiting player for the first time about a month ago, and fans threw things at him in addition to booing him. The Islanders won that game 6-1, but Tavares got the last laugh on Monday. He scored a goal in Toronto’s 2-1 win, which clinched a playoff berth for the team.
