Tavares' old teammate says losing C "best possible thing" for Leafs
Before he was one of the faces of the Toronto Maple Leafs, John Tavares was running the show for the New York Islanders.
Tavares was the Islanders’ first overall pick in the 2009 draft and was named captain of the franchise in 2013, giving him the rare distinction of being the captain of two NHL teams.
But this offseason, Toronto made the bold move to pass the captaincy on from Tavares while he was still on the roster, handing the “C” over to superstar forward Auston Matthews.
It wasn’t necessarily a total shock — the idea had been floated for several years amongst fans and media — but still was a major transition in the team’s leadership group.
And while Toronto fans have been watching Tavares play for five seasons now, few people around the NHL know his career better than former Islanders defenceman Thomas Hickey.
Hickey was in town on Monday as part of the launch of the new Monday Night Hockey broadcast on Prime Video and spoke to Daily Hive about his relationship with Tavares.
“My first reaction was [it] felt like a bit of a gut punch. And my reaction that followed that up was, this might be the best possible thing, not just for John, but for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews,” Hickey said.
Hickey and Tavares first played together at the 2008 World Juniors, before linking up again beginning in 2012 in New York.
“It seems like it was a decision that everyone was part of, and John’s a guy [who] has a ton of pride. But one thing I know from him, I played with him before he was a captain. I played with him after he was captain. Nothing ever changes. From his perspective, he’s so focused on being a professional, so I don’t think anything’s going to change.”
However, Hickey added that having a few fewer eyes — if that’s possible — could help to rejuvenate Tavares next season. The former Leafs captain put up 65 points in 80 games last year, his lowest point-per-game mark in any of his five years in Toronto.
“Let’s be realistic, you’re in Toronto, you’re in the biggest market, you’ve been the captain. I think there’s going to be a bit of a sigh, a bit of a relief, and probably a bit of renewed energy from him. So I think it’s a really positive thing, not just for the Leafs, but I think John, he’s going to make the most as well.”
Hickey will be on the Prime Video broadcast team alongside Mark Messier, Adnan Virk, John Forslund, Andi Petrillo, Jody Shelley, Shane Hnidy, and Blake Bolden. Having last played in the NHL in 2021-2022, he has since been working on Islanders broadcasts for MSG Networks.
“You watch the game from a different vantage point when you’re not a player and you don’t have a rooting interest,” Hickey added.
“I consume as much hockey as I can get. I would do it in my spare time if I had some sort of different job. Every bit of hockey that I’m consuming, it just sort of goes into the memory bank, and it’s a fun way to pass the time for me, because it’s a hobby as much as it is a job… I think I was fortunate to find [this career] right away, and now it’s something that I’m equally as passionate about doing this as I was playing.”