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Milestone Night Puts John Tavares in Elite, Elite Company; Leafs' Losing Effort Taints Celebration
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs' disastrous loss to the Kraken couldn't have come at a worse time, as John Tavares finds himself among the most elite of NHL company.
Last night's loss to the Seattle Kraken is a tough pill to swallow for a Toronto Maple Leafs team who was heavily favoured to win the game going in. Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs dropped an OT decision at home, moving to 3-2-1 on the season.
Cracks Starting to Show
As if the loss wasn't bad enough, the cracks are beginning to show in Toronto, with goaltender Anthony Stolarz being very vocal with his frustration over how the team in front of him has been playing early on this season.
Even head coach Craig Berube has had enough of the way the team has played, and is sure to be demanding a more from his group in practice this week.
Tavares' Milestone Night Tainted by Loss to Kraken
The night wasn't a total loss, though, as veteran forward John Tavares notched his 500th career point with the Leafs, marking the second time he has reached that milestone with a team, collecting his first 621 career points with the New York Islanders.
It's unfortunate that the team could not muster a win against Seattle on such a monumental night for Tavares, but even though the celebration wasn't as good as it could have been, there's still plenty of reason to celebrate for the former Leafs captain.
Tavares Now in Elite Company
Tavares accomplishing this feat is significant, as only three other players in NHL history have scored at least 500 points with two different franchises. All of them are Hall of Famers.
Per Sportsnet Stats, Tavares joins Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Ron Francis on the very elite list.
That's not all. With his goal last night, Tavares now has 497 goals, and is creeping ever closer to the 500-goal milestone -- something he is sure to reach, perhaps even this coming week with the Leafs having three games on their schedule.
Less Than 50 Players Have Scored 500 NHL Goals
In the storied history of the National Hockey League, less than 50 players have ever recorded 500 career NHL goals. John Tavares currently sits 50th on the all-time goals list, just behind the legendary Glenn Anderson (498) and Lanny McDonald (500).
Only 33 Canadian players have ever scored 500 goals. Tavares will become the 34th.
Will John Tavares Eventually Land in the Hall of Fame?
Obviously, it's far too early to begin talking about this, but one has to wonder if when all is said and done, Tavares will find himself in the Hockey Hall of Fame as well, with or without that elusive Stanley Cup.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 19 | 885 ANSWERS Milestone Night Puts John Tavares in Elite, Elite Company; Leafs' Losing Effort Taints Celebration Do you think John Tavares will have done enough by the end of his NHL career to warrant a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame? | ||
| Yes, there's no question | 669 | 75.6 % |
| No, he needs a Cup to get in | 145 | 16.4 % |
| I'm not sure | 71 | 8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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