LIVE BLOG: JOHN TAVARES PRESS CONFERENCE
Photos, the play-by-play, pithy comments and more
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12:15 pm - Live from just in front of the visiting team bench at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, it’s Point Blank at the John Tavares press conference.
The fans have started to enter the arena. The event is being held on the Coliseum floor, with the scoreboard serving as backdrop. The board and the digitial signage around the rink read “JOHN TAVARES #91.” The Lighthouse folks are here, as are - natch - the ticket sales force. Howie Rose will be your MC for the afternoon.
12:24 pm - Approximately 200 fans have filled most of the seats on the arena floor, with some lined up along the sides.
Word has it that Pat Brisson, the agent for John Tavares, is running behind schedule and will not make the press conference. Still, he’ll be here for his true purpose: to begin discussions on John’s first NHL contract.
12:35 - Howie Rose begins event. Charles Wang enters with John’s family and Josh Bailey. Tavares takes seats on dais with Garth Snow and Scott Gordon.
12:37 - Howie’s speech references Islanders fans who filled out questionnaires last summer saying they wanted the team to practice “patience.” Introduces Snow, who pokes fun at Howie for not wearing a suit.
12:40 - Snow intros video on the drafting of Tavares. Crowd of approximately 350 roars with approval. Snow brings on Tavares, who receives 91 jersey, poses for photo op with Garth and Scott and then walks on water on his way to the podium.
12:41 - “A dream for me since I was 14. I couldn’t be more excited, more thrilled, more humbled than to be with the New York Islanders and in this community.” He thanks the fans for welcoming him and for their support.
12:42 - Tavares: “It’s a young group. It’s going to take some time. I’m excited about camp this week and, of course, training camp. I can’t wait, like I said, to get started. It’s going to be a lot of fun bringing that success back.”
12:46 - Billy Jaffe interviewing Snow, Gordon and Tavares. He asks John about fellow 91 Butch Goring. Tavares says he knows what Butch meant to the dynasty.
12:48 - Scott Gordon: “There’s no question goal scoring is something we lacked last season. There’s no question from the top of the circles down, John’s ability to score goals is something we’re going to welcome. He’s a lot more complete player than I knew. Gordon cites Tavares’ ability in his own end and in the faceoff circle.
12:51 - At a press conference for John Tavares, incredibly the first question from the media is about who’s going to be captain this season. Understandably, Gordon politely blows it off.
12:53 - Snow reiterates that Tavares was always the pick. “He’s a great hockey talent and an even better person,” says the general manager.
12:55 - Tavares: “Obviously, we’re in a rebuilding phase. You have to take a few years where there’s some growing pains, some tough seasons.” He says the team will come together over the years and “bring that success back.” He cites Pittsburgh and Chicago as models.
12:57 - Formal press conference ends. Photo ops begin with family and Josh Bailey.
Looks like Greg Logan, Dan Martin of the Post, PB and the other media in attendance are now being escorted to a space where we can have some time with Tavares and company. If anything comes of it, I’ll pass it along.
Season ticketholders with team-approved wristbands are lined up to get autographs from Tavares.
1:45 pm - Nah, you didn’t miss much behind the curtain. Scott Gordon told reporters Prospect Camp is not about linemates (Josh Bailey, for example) but about “getting to know the terminology, how we practice, how we train off the ice.” A team PR official ended Gordon’s media scrum as one fellow asked about the status of Rick DiPietro. This will be the team’s latest suspense thriller, with the goal of Rick hitting the ice the first day of camp in Saskatoon and doing an Ozzie Smith flip to show he’s 100%.
I spoke with Tavares one-on-one for about 3 minutes for a story I have planned on a big piece of adversity he hit amidst all the Team Canada championships and personal awards. That story should be up by tomorrow.
Point Blank coverage of Tavares, along with the Prospect Camp continues even during the quiet time of July, will continue.
Comments on Tavares and today’s event in this thread, please.
89 Responses to “LIVE BLOG: JOHN TAVARES PRESS CONFERENCE
Photos, the play-by-play, pithy comments and more”
Please Wait
See you at the Coliseum, CB.
-Justin
IslesNet
who is this tavares you speak of?
I can’t watch this live, and probably won’t even be able to follow it here… does anyone know if it’ll be up on Islanders TV for watching on demand later?
I’ll be there…
yes itll be live on nyi.com
Is this inside the Coliseum or in the parking lot? I’m gonna try to go during my lunch break.
Wish I could be there to catch a glimpse of that 91 jersey.
Is there anything I can expect out of this that won’t be a rehash of previous coverage/interviews?
Does anyone know if this will be on radio?
94.3 FM possibly or other AM?
I would ask if it would be live on cable?
But we all no the ISLES get ZERO Offseason/Pre-Season Coverage Locally- Mostly Thanks to Evil Conflicted Interest Monopoly Colluder CableVision and Their Agenda-
ITV will be streaming it live on isles website.
Between You-Tube and this site—I can get more than enough off season coverage.
Quick question–what has the feeling of some off the current Islanders been towards Tavares coming in. Positive?? Negetive??
Will this be as BIG as mj.
Good to see both sides eager to get things going in the right direction. It would still be nice to add John Mirasty to play up with the big club though. Would be a fan favorite in 10 seconds.
See you all there.
Someone please ask Snow if JT is gonna wear #91 or a target on his back being he doesn’t want to address the lack of toughness on the team. Thanks
I sure hope we get a good turnout today (I can’t make it b/c of work, like many others, I presume).
I can’t help but feel that JT, playing in Canada w/ the rabid Canadian fans and media for all his life, is like the really pretty girl that we have to constantly try to impress, and LI is going to be a huge letdown for him hockey-wise. I don’t know if that makes any sense…
I wonder if this were a NYR presser if MSG or MSG+ would air it? Hmmmm…..
CB do you know if they will have the jersey customization available today?
Asking Snowy in this presser on his plans to have protection for his youth like Tavares would be a perfect question today.
CB, any info BD Galloff’s latest entry on Snow not having the money to sign free agents according to some NHL hockey source?
Lol I just turned on the online stream and it’s streaming one of the radio stations playing “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” by Tavares
live free broadcast of this on islanders website.
Mike L (21): GREAT CATCH… I didn’t put 2 and 2 together for that one. “Tavares” hahahahaha….
(20) I just read that as well. If Snow is only making the initial calls just to make it SEEM as though he’s trying to get guys, that is indeed SAD for this franchise. That to me screams tank job.
The Roloson signing is something he could NEVER cover up with “calls”. That was the one thing he absolutely HAD to have.
Forwards? D-men? “We really tried hard to get this guy and that guy, but we were not going to be fiscally irresponsible.”
Blah blah blah.
At least we now have some clarity as to why there hasn’t been at least a bruiser or d-man signing.
Mike L (21): Cool, I never would have realized that!
ugh so heated i cant watch this right now because of the impassable nazi work proxy. this is like one of 3 sites i can actually go to. hope it’s a good one yall
theres 3 months before the pucks drops so theres plenty of time to add the right mix of toughness .
Im almost positive I have never seen Charles Wang smile so much
Can hardly hear what the speakers are saying
god, i hate these typical questions. Ask John about his wristbands or something I haven’t already heard.
Anyone else want to slap that dork who mumbled something about Tavares being “discouraged about coming to a team that’s been poor for the last 20 years”?
I do.
That was it? 2 media questions?
Sounded like an obnoxious ranger fan who likes to pretend that the rangers have been anything other then a joke throughout history except for a few years in the 90’s
Ron (32): 3.
Oh… whew.
hmmmmmm, very revealing, hard hitting, annnnnnnnnnnd zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
now go sign tanguay for him to play with
31 yeah, that stuttering dork needs an elbow to the face.
Very nice job by the Islanders and ITV crew.
Tom (30): Agreed! Ask him what he likes about LI so far. Ask him if he had pizza yet in NYC or which players he has been talking to and who is going to show him around. Ask him what his favorite band is, ask him about his equipment, I dont know… something. Jeez lol.
And, C.J. (31): YES.
C.J. (31)- The way he talked about Lundqvist and the Rangers organization and their fanbase, I think it’s pretty obvious which team he’s a fan of.
Sooooo why do press conferences seem so boring and uncomfortable on video, but so exciting and joyful in clips and stills? Anyways, is it Islanders season yet?
Seriously, guys.
Who was that guy reporting for? A Rags magazine? Or someone from Toronto still upset they didn’t get Tavares? Between him and the captain question, completely pointless.
“…a team across the river with a good goaltender…” what a dink
that duch who referenced the larger rag$ fanbase should be slapped in the face. this is nyi not broadway
didn’t catch his name but no doudt a ranger writer or something along those line’s. let’s see the Ranger’s win one cup in the last sixty plus year’s since 1940 but they’ve been a consistent organization.
Reason #728 why Botta should still be running communications for the Islanders:
Having the John Tavares presser in the NVMC — the largest room in Nassau County.
huh that was the worst press conf ever..we are so weak…grt question..is john gonna be the capt..really thats what ur gonna write about..dopes
can someone ask garth about getting some muscle on this team?!?
What was that? 3 questions? none from Logan? Where was the Canadian press? Would have been better with bloggers and fans asking questions! By the way, have you ever seen a more polished 18 year old in your life? Does this kid know how to handle himself or what!! Great Job JT!
Does anyone know if existing season ticket holders were allowed to attend today and meet Tavares? Or was it just new people who bought at the draft or in the following week? Thanks
Was difficult to tell watching online, but was there much press at the Press Conference? Seemed odd that Jaffe asked most of the questions and only 3 questions followed.
Mike L (41): Agreed, Mike… that kid was definitely a fan of the team from the short Island.
i agree where was that media from? will he be captain next year? If were gordon i would of said “you are a moron, next question”.
and the rags fan was a joke. Who let that guy in. Tavares should of been a bit more witty, said that dominated 4 cups and you guys went dormant from 1980 to 1994.
Shouldn’t be any reason to feel down today for the fans…this is what we’ve been looking forward to since December: Tavares introduced as a New York Islander. I’ll be an optimist today and say between Tavares, KO, Bergy, and Hunter, we could have four more 20+ goal scorers than we had last year…three of them are still on their way up, and none of them are over 30. It’s a start.
With this being an ISLANDER press conference in NASSAU COLISEUM, why the heck would the people running this thing, if they are doing only three questions, have a RAGS fan asking Tavares one of them?!?!? And he was clearly smug (as if a Rags fan has ANYthing to be smug ABOUT)when asking the question.
Nice signing with Gaborik. He will be injured by Game 20.
now get somebody for him to play with (tanguay, zherdev, afinogenov……)
I’m more interested in the press conference to introduce Greg Moore.
GO JOHNNY GO !! JOHNNY B GOOD !!
Nice conference, let’s get JT and co. some muscle as the next ptiority. CB, have the Isles had discussions with Andre Roy? Is there any hope for Mitch Fritz with the big club in the future?
welcome aboard JT but seriously YAWWNNNNNN….the season cant get here soon enough!!…
Thanks for the play by play.
Thanks for the updates from the press conference.
I loved the line “then walks on water on his way to the podium.” Is there nothing Tavares cannot do.
Cant wait for tomo’s piece.
Just got back from Coliseum. All of the “real” media saved their questions for the “post press conference” press conference that happened behind the curtain after the dog-and-pony show ended. There were several breakout sessions with JT, Bailey, Gordon and Snow with various members of the media. I hopefully will have one small update from that regarding Tavares throughts on Stamkos on my blog later. Assuming my recording device picked up JTs hushed response.
As excited as I am about Tavares, Okposo, Bailey, Streit, DiPietro, Roloson, COmeau, Bergy, Wrecker, Neilsen, Joennsu, Sutton etc I can’t be as excited as I want because I’m wondering how many games we’ll actually get to watch them. Looks like the Isles have improved the training situation and that should cut back on injuries but it again looks like open season on Islanders and a bunch of excuses why Chris Pronger put John Tavares out for 40 something games and why no one did anything about it.
CB.. What do you think about the Tanguay to NYI rumor?
can’t wait for opening night. I need TIX!!!! anyone selling?? ; )
Press conf. was a wate, could hardley understand what anyone was saying, the mics were too loud and the place way too big. The one thing I noticed was how much Bailey grew, he is not much shorter than Snow who is 6′4″
hey Garth sign Tanguay and please get an enforcer in here to protect JT and the rest of them, Is it oct,3 yet?????
Tavares said he didn’t hear that idiot with the question about how does it feel to be playing on the “other team” in NY. He BURNED that guy! LOL! He handled that like a pro! He heard it when the guy rephrased it without the bias! If JT is as sharp on the ice as he is off, I tell you, we have it made! Let’s go Islanders! Let’s go JT!
Well done Botta
Do you think JT looked down from the stage at the several people there and asked himself “What minor-league operation have I gotten myself into?”
#70….That is hilarious. We need that kind of take no prisoners attitude!
when are individual tickets coming out?
“Do you think JT looked down from the stage at the several people there and asked himself “What minor-league operation have I gotten myself into?”
you know, I was thinking the exact thing. HA!
It’s going to be tough for JT be patient I think.
I hope I’m wrong.
They’ve known for all this time they were taking him #1, had almost 2 weeks since the draft, and yet have him put on a replica jersey with the goofy label in front? Jeez, guess there were saving the $$ for a real one to spend on all those free agents
I think it will be tough for JT to keep his patience, but I think he can do it. He is a winner, and winners don’t always get their name from winning on the score-card.
CB, great piece, and I cannot wait until you have that interview with him tomorrow. It’s my birthday tomorrow, so make sure you keep up the good work for me! haha!
I don’t want to be picky here, but he keeps on referring to Long Island as a City. Someones gotta tell him to call it the Island not the city.
CJ #31. I was there and really grimaced when that unknown reporter asked that question. Slapping is a bit harsh .I wondered if he would have asked the same question to Martin Brodeur when he came to the Devils in the early 1990s. The important thing is the future ans that’s what Tavares has.
Josh Bailey looked beefier than I remember him from three months ago. When Jaffe introduced him in the audience, I was expecting a skinny kid to stand up.
Tavares needs to enunciate a bit better but he did correctly talk about learning things as he grows. When you follow professional talkers like Rose and Jaffe, the contrast is apparent. But did talk correctly how being drafted number one in the OHL is similar but smaller scale than NHL.
he was looking down at that hack of a reporter asking a completely unrelated question at his press conference..
It’s wonderful to hear this kid talking about bringing us back to success…What a phenomenal attitude from a teenager none the less…The whiners saying JT will want to leave due to lack of veteran stars to play with is hog wash…He knows it takes time to rebuild and I have to believe, when this rebuild comes to fruition, he wouldn’t want to leave what he helped make happen…Hopefully
Wish I could of made it today. Looks like it was a cool event. I did rock my new TAVARES jersey to work today though!! : )
For the benefit of those who attended the members of the media should have identified themselves as they asked questions.I was there and I swear the sound was totally inaudible.Garth, please reinforce our goon division especially when we play the Flyers.Carcillo,Ashan,Cote and Pronger will cause extreme havoc.And Mike Mottau of the Devils needs a little payback for his cheap shot on Frans Nielsen.
I was hoping they would announce a signing at this thing - so seceret surprises, pretty bland overall.
CB,
I love the blog, and thanks for the recap. But as a long time observer of the abundantly forthcoming and candid Isles PR machine under Charles Wang, I can’t help but feel that the absolute silence concerning Rick DiPietro’s condition bodes poorly for his bid to return to the lineup, etc. Then take the fact that we haven’t seen The 15-year Franchise (not at The Draft, not at today’s whatever) in the past year and couple it with our having acquired 4 goaltenders in the offseason, and I’m thinking that Rick DiPietro has probably had another surgery and is probably done. Are they planning on waiting until they know where they stand as far as season ticket sales are before they make an announcement, or are they going to hamfist this into yet another embarassing piece of drama, as they’ve done with…well…just about everything.
Sincerely,
Very Concerned,
JP
I was there today and a little disappointed we didn’t get the ‘real’ press conference……I was also surprised how big bailey was in person…..jt seems like a good kid but he has definately been trained to say the right thing….I think he is going towork real hard to make the isles a contender however, if the still suck when he is able to leave he’ll be long gone….by the way how long until he is a UFA? Great job CB and it was nice meeting you today
I was at the press conference too. Also surprised by the constant DP no shows. DP wasn’t at the jersey give away last season, Draft, and now this. Over all the press conference was cool. Just a little mad that because I am a long time season ticket holder and I supported them before John Tavares got drafted, I was not allowed to meet him. I guess I’m chop liver.
i was very impressed by how good Bailey looks. He has def physically matured. I find it funny he will be at prospects camp, hopefully bailey,tav, and KO will be on weekly hilight reels if they stick them all on the same pp this year.
DP didn’t show up because he can barely walk. Face it, he is done.