After All That!

MONTREAL--John Tavares started No. 1 and stayed that way.

The New York Islanders ended weeks of speculation by selecting the OHL star with the first pick of the 2009 NHL draft tonight, end Tavares' long wait.

Rumours in recent weeks had suggested that Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman or Brampton centre Matt Duchene might have supplanted Tavares as the No. 1 pick, but that turned out not to be true as the Islanders grabbed the high-profile teenager on the planet.

As it stands, Hedman is now expected to go No. 2 to Tampa Bay and Duchene No. 3 to Colorado.