Timing is Everything

John Tavares, it's pretty clear, has the talent to be a major NHL star.

But he sure needs to work on his sense of timing.

Here we are, smack dab in the middle of what has turned out to be a rather disappointing Super Series between Canadian juniors and Russian juniors - disappointing because its been so one-sided - and Tavares is being quoted across the land, but not about his team or the games.

Talking about himself. His future. His NHL plans.

PAUL CHAISSON/CP

John Tavares, right, apparently forgot he's competing for Team Canada at the moment.

You can bet Brent Sutter is doing a slow burn over this one.

It's strange, too, because Canadian juniors are pretty well schooled these days in the art of saying nothing of any substance at all to the media in the middle of these major international competitions.

Tavares, however, was quoted extensively in a Canadian Press story about how hard it is for him to have to wait until the 2009 NHL entry draft while so many of his Canadian teammates have already been drafted and are looking forward to attending NHL camps.

Tavares, and his agent, Bryan Deasley, have made it abundantly clear they believe Tavares should be eligible for the 2008 draft, if only because his birthdate - Sept. 20, 1990 - makes him ineligible by only five days for the '08 proceedings.

Now, whether Tavares is right or wrong, or whether he should be looking to be evaluated differently than every other junior player on the planet because of his skill level, isn't really the point at this moment.

It's that he should be talking Team Canada first, second and third.

It might even be different if he was ripping this competition up, but he's not. In fact, he's struggling to find his way.

Being publicly quoted as saying, in effect, that you believe you are so much better than every other junior-aged player that special rules should be invented for you and the NHL and NHLPA should immediately seek to amend their collective bargaining agreement just isn't appropriate at this moment. Deasley, in fact, knows just as well as anyone that the NHLPA is in a state of disarray at the moment and has bigger fish to fry than working on special dispensation for Tavares.

If Tavares thinks the rule Sept. 15 eligibility deadline is unfair, he should consult with Alexander Ovechkin, who missed it by only two days but seems to have adapted just fine to the disappointment.

Sure, it can be tough to continue playing and developing at the junior level. And sure, it would be nice to hit the big money a year earlier.

But this is simply the wrong time to be even talking about this issue. Moreover, Eric Lindros is an example of a player who, even if he was fighting the good fight, made himself a target in many ways because he chose to challenge the rules.

Tavares needs to play and play well - maybe help the Oshawa Generals win a championship? - and wait for his turn. It'll come, just like it did for many, many players equally - or even more talented - before him.

Comments

[Rick Grace]

Tavares sounds like another Eric Lindros. And who wants another ERic Lindros?

[Danny]

The question is really whether or not Tavares' progress will be stalled by staying at the junior level. Not to sound mean, but forget Ovechkin. We have a Canadian who could be a major star and he should be allowed to take the path that best progresses his abilities. Otherwise he is just being delayed a year because of 5 days. I think there should be exceptions because there are exceptional players out there. The system isn't perfect but it should be manageable in order to make it better.

So forget about the 5 days completely. The question really is, would staying in junior be a wasted year for Tavares or would making the jump be something that could help him fluorish?

[Steve Barnett]

Could'nt agree more...Tavares is a more than solid prospect but he looks lost out there with the skill level turned up a notch...
Proof that he should stop listening to the people who are pumping him up to foregoe the rules and in turn become the next Big "E". Obviously his agent is the biggest tub thumper and would that be because he doesnt want to wait till 08 to cash in on his cash cow? Or is his agent a little scared that someone with a little higher profile will swoop in and scoop his meal ticket up before he has had a chance to cash a cheque for all he has done so far. Tavares is getting bad advice, plain and simple. And the sad part is it looks like he is starting to believe his own hype. The exemption into junior was warranted.
But by no means is Tavares ready to jump to the next level. Here's hoping someone ( his father is a pretty sharp guy) talks some sense into him. I have a nephew who was drafted by Chicago and played in the AHL last year (Norfolk). Won a Mem cup with London and a gold medal with the juniors the same year. And it never ceased to amaze me the people telling him how great he was, how he will have no problem making the show etc, etc. Luckily he had a good agent who took the time to scope out the proper route and foretold of the roadblocks one encounters in the world of pro hockey. Ask any agent or executive with no ties to John Tavares and you will recieve an unbiased opinion. Yes he is good, yes he will make the pro's. But he has a lot to learn and obviously needs a good teacher.

[Sean O'Reilly]

I don't agree much with Damian, but in this case I could not agree more. Well written.

The young Mr. Tavares needs to wait his turn like everyone before him. He also needs to learn some respect, or get better representation, because he ain't helping his marketing to consumers and companies.

[John Bokhout]

bang on D.C Bang On

[Boudria]

Didn't Ken Linseman take legal action to get into the league as an 18 year old? Not sure if it was similar to this case.
Tavares should be careful what he wishes for. He might become the next Jason Bonsignore.

[Matt]

Get over it Damien, seriously.

He's a young kid excited about a very promising future. As ill-timed as some of his comments may have been, I'd love to hear young stars, like Tavares, express some emotion and let slip a few colourful comments here and there. It's better than being forced to read/listen to more boring dribble about these kids being content to play beneath their skill level while developing and being happy and grateful to get whatever chances their teams hand them.

Since when did wanting to challenge ones self and strive for excellence become a bad thing?

The media (and that includes you!) has been hyping this kid for so long, claiming he'll excel in the NHL at a younger age than most, that I'm going to cut him a little slack if he's actually bought into the hype himself.

[OddyOh]

Best thing Tavares can do right now is keep quiet, play his game, put some points on the board...which I'm sure he will. If his agent wants to overhype him, so be it, at least he can fire his agent at some point. But it would be a mistake to believe your own hype.

Other than money, having to wait isn't a bad thing. His body still needs to grow, and if he breaks some more of Gretzky's records in the meantime, that'll only add to his future paychecks.

[Chris Stinson]

Give your head a shake Damien Cox. Do you think John Tavares ran down a bunch of reporters, tugged on their sleeves and said please write about my plight in your news papers / blogs? All he is doing is answering a few of the 100 questions that are contantly thrown at him by bored reporters such as yourself that are trying to create a little controversy / excitment during this tourney that has turned out to be everything but. It is the blood sucking media that is trying to portray him as the next Eric Lindros. Doesn't anyone remember he just broke Wayne Gretzky's record last year? An arbitray date; 5 days past it; has created this whole contraversy - and thank goodness right Damien? What else would you have to write about?.

[Kim]

I totally agree - I've seen Tavares play - he's not as great as they make him out to be - and he is far too young to play in the NHL even if he were good enough!!

[Sanj]

A little cranky Damien??? Didn't have a good summer??

I agree with the previous post. The media doesn't care how well Tavares is doing in this series. They only want to know when Tavres is going to the NHL. The kid is just being honest.

[steve]

I agree with a few of the other posters - I find it very self serving to write a piece like this when it is the sports media who are responsible for turning the spotlight on these kids and hounding them relentlessly. How can a 16 year old be expected to handle things like a 25 year old?? Gimme a break. It's almost like sports are writers are running out of material; so desperate for 'drama' they need to play both sides of a story. There's a saying that "pop will eat itself", well this is pure 'pop' sports writing at its worst.

[kushiro]

In response to a couple of comments here:

1. It seems to me that the "excitement" here is less about the challenge and striving for excellence and more about the millions.

2. Sure, the date is arbitrary. But any date set would appear arbitrary for some reason or another. The best you can do is to find a date that works for the majority of cases (and thus is somewhat less than completely random), and those who lie beyond it wait another year. How would extending it another 5 (or 10 or 15 or even 30) days make it less arbitrary? It would still seem arbitrary to everyone else, only it would then be specifically chosen for one player.
Or perhaps they should just do away with eligibility rules and just draft anyone at any age.

3. Let's not get carried away with comparisons to Lindros. It'll take a lot of selfish behaviour before Tavares gets to that point.

Anyhow, I can't get too worked up about this fellow's situation. I tend to save my concern for the life/career problems experienced by people I actually know and who mean something to me: friends, family, etc.

[Adam C]

I was going to say that it might be in the best interest of Tavares to wait another year, finish school, have a chance to develop his life outside of hockey, and get a little better and stronger before jumping in to the grind of a long, long season playing against the headhunters of the NHL.

Then I remembered that he's playing major junior, so all that goes out the window anyway. Can you blame him for wanting to be paid for his efforts, instead of just making profit for other people?

[Stephen]

For once I can wholeheartedly agree with you, Damien. While the criticism of the media trying to fill dead sports pages is undoubtedly true, it's nothing new, certainly not specific to sports, and entirely immaterial to the point that the kid isn't handling this properly. A simple reply to the questions of those nasty, story-scouring reporters would have diffused everything...something along the lines of: "Of course I'd like to play at the highest level possible -- my agent's looking into our options." Say that and there's no problem whatsoever.

If he really wants to improve his game he'll take off and spend his last year playing in the Swedish Elite league anyway.