New York Islanders captain John Tavares was in Toronto to talk about the 6th Annual Canadian Suit Drive, which helps to provide gently used professional attire to men and women trying to re-enter the workforce.
We had the chance to sit down with Tavares to talk about the importance of a good suit, how he feels about the team moving to Brooklyn, and his advice for young hockey players trying to follow in his footsteps.
Sportsnet: Of all the charities to get involved with, what drew you to the Canadian Suit Drive?
John Tavares: There were plenty of things. Obviously, it being a Canadian Suit Drive and me being Canadian, I think that was a great connection.
Understanding the professional world and wearing a suit and professional clothing, I have to do it every single day for what I do and understanding what that means and what that feels like and what that can do for someone. So that connection definitely is very strong.
SN: Do you have a target number of suits you want to collect this year?
Tavares: The Moores’ goal and my goal as well is to try to accomplish 75,000 professional pieces of clothing so, I believe last year was 72,000 so we’re trying to eclipse that and get to seventy-five which would obviously be a great number to achieve and it’s been off to a great start.
SN: Do you have a go-to suit look for game day?
Tavares: I wouldn’t say a go-to suit but certainly I have to get my suits tailored and I certainly like, you know, the feel and the fit and just like the Suit Drive promotes, anytime you feel good you feel confident about yourself, it leads to good things and puts you in a position to succeed.
Obviously when you’re heading to the rink for a game you want to be focused, in the right mindset, and feel good about yourself and when you look good, you have that confidence.
SN: Speaking of game day, can you describe what the feeling was like playing in the last game at [Nassau] Coliseum?
Tavares: Our last game, really all year was special, and certainly we were do or die in Game 6 to continue our season and we were able to get to Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs, obviously.
The crowd was tremendous, so behind us, and really just an amazing fan base. So much history and connection between us, the team, and the fans, and what that place meant to everybody.
SN: Are you looking forward to the move to Brooklyn?
Tavares: It’ll definitely be a big change, a big change for everybody but certainly a new rink, new facilities, especially with how advanced things are for athletes and for a lot of the teams and players in our league are now, it’ll be nice to have those amenities.
And certainly a brand new arena definitely will be a lot of fun to break in and obviously we’re looking forward to it. Like I said, it’ll be different but a lot of fun.
SN: If you had to choose: Brooklyn Nets or Toronto Raptors?
Tavares: Definitely the Toronto Raptors.
SN: Jay-Z or Drake?
Tavares: Drake.
SN: Who controls the music in the Islanders dressing room and what do they usually play?
Tavares: We have a tremendous mix, we have stuff from the 80s, 90s, 2000s, right up until obviously what’s top on the charts today and Cal Clutterbuck usually handles that mix and he does a great job I think of mixing it up.
You play 82 games and playoffs and it can get very stale when you play the same thing over and over again, so he mixes it up from hip-hop to BPM-kind of style, dance music, or even playing some rock or stuff from the 80s so, he definitely mixes it up pretty good.
SN: Did you watch the Memorial Cup? How did it feel to watch the Oshawa Generals win?
Tavares: I did watch. It was amazing, what a team, really, in every sense of the word. Tremendous effort throughout the whole season, the playoffs, and what the coaching staff and organization did. Definitely very deserving for those kids, very jealous of them, would have loved to do something like that and certainly to win a championship for that city where I have a lot of connection to and it means a lot to mean, it’s great for those people and they certainly supported those kids just like they did me when I was there.
SN: Do you have any exciting plans for the off-season?
Tavares: Nothing too crazy, just prepare for next season. I was out on the west coast a little bit so I enjoyed some time out there.
I like to golf so that’s kinda my off-season hobby so [I’ll] golf a little bit and maybe head up to the lakes up north maybe a little bit and kinda get away. Other than that just relax and enjoy the time off before the season starts.
SN: And our final Facebook question — What advice do you have for a young players who one day want to be captain of an NHL team?
Tavares: To be a captain, or even just to live your dream and be able to play in the NHL or the sport that you’re in love with, I think it’s important for kids to play many different sports and develop many different skills and develop that athleticism, and not only do you learn more about yourself, you gain a lot more tools as an athlete.
Also I think it grows that passion for the game, whether it’s hockey, or I played a lot of lacrosse growing up, so playing lacrosse or whether it’s golf or basketball or soccer, I think it’s important that you play different sports and you love a game, maybe like hockey, and you take those few weeks off or couple months off and you get the itch to get back on the ice, it really fuels that drive to play and how much you love it and how much fun you have doing it.
To get involved with the 6th Annual Canadian Suit Drive, bring any gently used professional clothing to any Moore’s store from now until July 31.