Leafs' Tavares got a special Team Canada call before roster snub
The Toronto Maple Leafs had one player named to each of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, but it was a notable omission on Team Canada that perhaps generated the most buzz among the fan base.
While Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Jani Hakanpaa were all named to the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland rosters respectively, former Leafs captain John Tavares was not among those named to the roster.
With international hockey rosters often being a reward for past career achievements in addition to current performance, it was thought that perhaps Tavares could squeak his way onto Canada’s roster.
Tavares is one of the more accomplished Canadian international players of his generation, having won two gold medals at the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Championships, a Spengler Cup in 2012, an Olympic gold medal in 2014, and a World Cup in 2016.
But via a since-correct roster leak by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the general public found out that Tavares would not be representing Canada next year.
However, Tavares wasn’t totally caught by surprise with the news, with the Toronto forward revealing today that the Canadian team brass actually gave him the heads-up on not making the team.
As per hockey insider Chris Johnston, Tavares got a phone call ahead of the official roster unveiling over the weekend, stating his disappointment but desire to fight for a Canadian roster spot “down the road.”
John Tavares says he got a call from Hockey Canada last weekend informing him that he wasn't selected for the 4 Nations team. Says he's "disappointed," but expresses hope he'll be able to fight to be in the mix for Team Canada again down the road.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 6, 2024
According to a radio hit on TSN 690 from Darren Dreger, Tavares was one of about 15 players called by the Canadian brass out of a sign of respect to let them know that they hadn’t made the team. While the news likely wasn’t easy to hear, it’s at least an indicator of who was on the team’s radar before making the cuts.
At age 34, Tavares’ last shot to make a best-on-best Canadian roster would likely be at the 2026 Winter Olympics, taking place in Italy.
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