There was a really great piece by Jeff Z. Klein in the NY Times yesterday profiling John Tavares, the Buffalo Bandits (NLL) star who happens to be the uncle of NY Islanders star center and Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) candidate John Tavares.
The elder Tavares (right; photo credit NLL.com), a school teacher in Ontario, has played 22 seasons in the NLL. He has won four championships and per the article is the highest scoring player in the history of indoor lacrosse, amassing an incredible 1,666 points in the NLL.
The younger Tavares is now one of the best players in the NHL and is a serious candidate to win the leagues MVP award. This season, he has led the Islanders back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. He also played box lacrosse as a teenager. Per Klein, he was even the Bandits ball boy for a couple of seasons growing up.
Hes a remarkable athlete who had a huge impact on me growing up,” said the NHL’er of his uncle. “Ive always been a huge fan of his and wanted to be like him.
Box lacrosse is a very popular sport in Canada, and often many hockey players played lacrosse in addition to their time on the ice. Earlier this season, NY Rangers star forward Rick Nash was asked where his tremendous stick skills came from. I played lacrosse my whole life, said Nash as part of his answer.