Leafs set to face milestone-reaching McDavid

TORONTO – John Tavares met Connor McDavid earlier the phenom had ever played a displacement successful junior.

Chris Tanev has trained alongside the superstar each off-season for much than a decade.

Both volition erstwhile again effort to find an reply for the milestone-reaching Oilers skipper Saturday erstwhile Edmonton visits the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Not galore opponents person unlocked the formula.

McDavid became the fourth-fastest subordinate successful NHL past to scope 1,000 vocation points Thursday, hitting the people successful a jaw-dropping 659 games. The 3 Hall of Famers up of him connected the database are Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513 games) and Mike Bossy (656 games).

“Insane,” Tanev said of the 27-year-old’s exploits. “Crazy to bash it successful the archetypal place, and past to bash it arsenic accelerated arsenic helium did is an astonishing accomplishment … you look astatine the names, and they’re the champion of the best.”

Tavares, the No. 1 prime by the New York Islanders successful 2009, skated with McDavid successful the summertime of 2012 earlier the second debuted with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters.

The brace were some granted exceptional presumption to play inferior a twelvemonth early, but Tavares could spot the pressures were antithetic for the most-hyped imaginable since Sidney Crosby.

“A batch of attention,” Tavares said Friday pursuing practice. “A precise unique, a antithetic clip successful presumption of societal (media) and those types of things.

“I don’t privation to accidental helium was uncomfortable, but you could conscionable consciousness it was a batch for a teen and a kid. I deliberation helium conscionable wanted to play hockey.”

Now a three-time Hart Trophy victor arsenic NHL MVP and undoubtedly the look of the game, McDavid has grown into his relation — particularly aft fundamentally consenting the Oilers to wrong a triumph of the Stanley Cup past spring.

“There’s a existent consciousness of himself and however helium carries himself connected a regular basis,” Tavares said of the apical prime successful 2015. “How helium deals with the media, deals with being successful the nationalist eye.”

Tanev works retired with McDavid and a radical of chap pros nether the tutelage of erstwhile NHLer/fitness guru Gary Roberts each summertime northbound of Toronto.

He said the on-ice sessions are eye-opening, but besides assistance him astatine his ain trade arsenic a shutdown defenceman.

“You privation to spell against the best, right?” said Tanev, who faces the likes of Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander successful practice. “They’re going to marque you look anserine erstwhile successful a while, but that’s however you larn and go a amended player.”

Matthews, however, appears acceptable to miss a sixth consecutive crippled with an undisclosed upper-body wounded that started with a day-to-day timeline.

If the sniper who bagged 69 goals past play does so beryllium Saturday — Toronto’s skipper has lone skated doubly implicit the past 12 days, and not since past play — helium volition person missed 2 weeks with the squad not successful enactment again until Wednesday.

Leafs caput manager Craig Berube said his 27-year-old centre hasn’t had immoderate setbacks successful his recovery.

“We privation to get him 100-per-cent right,” helium said. “We privation to get it down america truthful helium tin determination guardant and we tin determination forward.”

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When pressed connected the timeline, Berube added: “Everybody’s antithetic … would I similar him back? Ya, for sure. But it is what it is.”

The Leafs are 4-1-0 without Matthews since helium past played Nov. 3, and an awesome 39-20-2 all-time successful the regular play to spell on with 2 playoff wins.

The three-time Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy victor arsenic the league’s apical goal-scorer would person gone head-to-head with McDavid connected Saturday. Toronto volition alternatively person to proceed getting things done by committee.

“Tough however agile helium is and however astute helium is and bully with the puck,” Tanev said of Edmonton’s No. 97. “You’ve got to beryllium astute if you’re gonna effort to instrumentality a tally astatine him.”

Berube, who suited up against Gretzky and Lemieux successful his playing days, reflected connected McDavid hitting 1,000 points.

“You look astatine today’s crippled and however accelerated it is and conscionable the operation of the game, however teams play defence,” said the coach. “I’m not taking thing distant from the large players that did it earlier him … they could astir apt travel successful today’s crippled and predominate still, but it’s precise impressive.

“He’s conscionable unthinkable with the velocity and the agility helium has, and the power with the puck astatine that speed.”

McDavid has besides done good successful navigating his stardom.

“He’s recovered a beauteous bully balance,” Tavares said. “What helium does season-to-season, the benignant of subordinate that helium is, each that helium has connected his sheet … it’s not easy, but it’s awesome what helium does.

“It’s ever 1 of the toughest challenges of the year.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Nov. 15, 2024.

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