John Tavares Hits 499 Career Goals in Maple Leafs Win and Reflects on Longevity
After scoring his 499th goal against the Buffalo Sabres, forward John Tavares reflected on his NHL career and how special the accomplishment is to him.
The Toronto Maple Leafs needed a big game against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night and while they had to scratch and claw their way through it, the team pulled through thanks to an OT winner from John Tavares.
Quietly sturdy as always, Tavares has 12 points in eight games already (5 goals, 7 assists) and is picking up right where he left off last season.
Tavares Scores #499; Reflects On Storied NHL Career
But that goal wasn't just the winner in the extra frame, but it also marked Tavares' 499th career goal, leaving him one shy of the illustrious achievement.
No doubt he'll get that soon enough, but in anticipation of the historic occasion, the former captain was extremely humble for the career he has been able to carve out:
There are pieces to it. I think the biggest thing is the feeling I still have from when I was a kid: the love and passion that feed into the grind every day to keep working on things, push myself, and find ways to continue getting better.
The longer you play, the more wisdom you gain, and I'm using that to my advantage.
The longer you play, the more wisdom you gain, and I'm using that to my advantage.
Wisdom is often an underrated trait, and having been through all the good and bad the league has to offer, there's really nothing that has stopped him from doing the only thing he's ever wanted to do.
Maple Leafs Put In Strong Effort Against Sabres
Known for keeping himself in peak physical fitness, Tavares even at 35 is putting up some seriously strong numbers.
In addition to his 499th goal, he also tied Joe Nieuwendyk and Mike Bossy for 63rd all-time in scoring, and is four points behind Red Wings and Blues legend Bernie Federko.
Toronto put together a much better performance against Buffalo than they had Friday, and goaltender Cayden Primeau was solid, even if his family was keeping an eye on him all night.
The team also got a goal from Nick Robertson after a healthy scratch, go figure; and Dakota Joshua is slowly starting to find his game.
Tavares' winner capped off a very important night for the Maple Leafs. Not only did it get them back in the win column and give their struggling goalie some much needed respite.
But it moved John Tavares one step closer to history.
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OCTOBRE 25|938 ANSWERS John Tavares Hits 499 Career Goals in Maple Leafs Win and Reflects on Longevity Is John Tavares going to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame? | ||
| Yes | 877 | 93.5 % |
| No | 61 | 6.5 % |
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