John Tavares knows what it’s like to be in the spotlight.
Now with six NHL seasons under his belt, the New York Islanders captain has some friendly words of advice for Connor McDavid, from one first overall pick to another.
Tavares — who was in Toronto Tuesday to promote the sixth annual Canadian Suit Drive to help men and women get back into the work force — joined Sportsnet The Fan 590’s Jeff Blair Show in studio.
While Long Island’s hockey fanaticism may not be as intense as that of Edmonton — “I mean, I didn’t have 10,000 people at my first practice,” said Tavares — the first overall pick in 2009 faced a similar experience to what McDavid is currently dealing with.
“He’s obviously a special player,” said Tavares, who has met the young hockey phenom on several occasions. “You can clearly see he’s a special player because he’s a special person.
“You see at every level what he’s been able to do, and it’s great to see just really how he handles himself. I think that’s what really adds to him as a player.”
One big difference maker, said Tavares, are the people the Oilers have added to their organization in recent weeks.
“He’s got a tremendous support system,” he explained. “With the experienced people they’ve brought in there [in Edmonton], they’ll support him very well and make sure he can just worry about playing the game because that’s what he does and that’s what he’s done his whole life and that’s all he really needs to worry and focus on.”
In terms of the extra attention McDavid will receive in Edmonton as opposed to what he might see in some other markets, Tavares said it won’t be anything new for the 18-year-old.
“Certainly playing in a market like Edmonton, playing in Canada, that obviously brings even more spotlight to him,” he said. “He’s dealt with it for a long time, and I definitely went through a lot of similar things and he’s proving why he’s going to be a great player in our league and he’s going to do some special things.
“When you’re that good, you’re that good because you can handle those kinds of expectations and that kind of pressure to be what able to do what you can do as consistently as he does.”
Speaking of expectations, Tavares also touched on his former teammate with the OHL’s London Knights, Nazem Kadri, who he calls “one of the most skilled players I’ve played with.”
Kadri signed a one-year “show me” deal with the Maple Leafs on Monday, making the 2015-16 season more important than ever for the 24-year-old centre.
“Obviously there’ve been a lot of ups and downs with the Leafs and his situation and the way things have gone for the team,” Tavares said of the seventh overall pick in his 2009 draft class.
Tavares thinks a younger roster will be a good thing for Kadri, who has the chance to take on more of a leadership role.
“He’s still young,” he added. “Similarly to me, you’re always learning, you’re always growing … with the people they’ve brought in, they’re certainly going to push him and try to help him get to that next level.”
