Tavares erases Gretzky's mark
Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com Senior Writer Mar 20, 2007, 12:00 PM EDT
Oshawa Generals' center John Tavares
broke Wayne Gretzky's record for goals scored by a 16-year-old last week, which had stood for almost thirty years.
While many fans are still coming to grips with the fact that Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby has the talent to attack the NHL records of Wayne Gretzky -- once thought to be untouchable – there is another player waiting in the wings who might just be even better.
Meet John Tavares, Class of 2009. The 16-year-old Tavares plays for the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League and has been considered a hockey prodigy for years. Now, he has the resume to back up those lofty accolades.
Friday, Tavares scored a pair of goals in a loss to Ottawa to give him 71 for the season and break Gretzky's OHL record for goals by a 16-year-old. Gretzky scored 70 goals as a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds back in 1977-78. He finished the season with an astounding 182 points in 64 games.
Tavares did not quite catch Gretzky's point total, finishing with 134 points in 67 games, an average of two points per game and good for second overall in the OHL, just 11 points off the league-leading pace set by London's Patrick Kane. Tavares did finish with a league-leading 72 goals, one more than Eric Lindros scored for the Generals back in 1990-91. Tony Tanti holds the Oshawa record with 81 goals back in the 1980-81 season.
"It was pretty excited when I saw the puck go in. It was nice to finally get it," Tavares said Friday night. "It takes a bit of pressure off myself. I've been holding my stick a little tight the last couple games. Now I'm going to enjoy this with my teammates and my family."
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Tavares, born on Sept. 20, 1990, is not eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2009, meaning he has two more years of dominating OHL competition in his future before he can make the jump to the NHL, where he is expected to be an impact player at 18.
Right now, though, he is just concentrating on helping the Generals as much as possible.
"I came into the season looking to produce," Tavares says. "It's my job to put up points and help the team win. I'm getting more opportunities now – things are starting to come to me."
Thanks in large part to Tavares' heroics, Oshawa finished with a 31-29-3-5 record, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The team will play the Kingston Frontenacs in a best-of-seven, first-round series that begins Friday night in Oshawa. It is the first time in three years that the Generals have made the playoffs.
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