Staking Oakville's Claim to John Tavares

33 | Friday, April 17, 2015 | April 17, | Friday, Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor “Connected to your Community” [email protected] Sports Ten local players Barb Tavares (left) invited to Hockey OAKVILLE BEAVER and Monaghan’s Sports Pub & Grill Canada camp co-owner Clau- dio Serrao stand Ten women with Oakville connec- beside a display of tions are among the 102 players se- | www.insideHALTON.com memorabilia from lected by Hockey Canada to attend the hockey career of a summer strength and condition- Barb’s son, New York ing camp for its national women’s Islanders superstar program. John. Monaghan’s Oakville residents Nicole Cece, has made itself the Julia Edgar, Lindsay Agnew and Oakville headquarters Kristin O’Neill, as well as Oakville for fans of John and intermediate AA Hornets players the Islanders during Jaime Bourbonnais, Amy Curlew the Stanley Cup and Emma Maltais, are candidates playoffs. for Canada’s national women’s under-18 team. Oakville’s Melissa | photo by Michael Channell, Kristyn Capizzano and Ivanin — Special to Sydney McKibbon will attend the the Beaver camp as potential members of the Canadian national women’s devel- opment squad. The strength and conditioning camp, scheduled for May 6-10 in Hamilton, marks the first activity for the 2015-16 season for Can- ada’s national women’s program, Staking Oakville’s claim to John Tavares and is a building block towards world championships during the Islanders playoff games will be prominently “John worked so hard to get on that team,” season. by Jon Kuiperij featured, with sound, on the Monaghan’s tele- Barb said of her 1990-born son, whose uncle Players selected for this camp Beaver Sports Editor visions. Displays of memorabilia from both Ta- (father Joe’s brother) John is the National La- are in consideration for the Ca- vares’s days in minor hockey — which started crosse League’s all-time leading scorer. nadian teams that will compete Barb Tavares has heard the question many with the Minor Oaks Hockey Association be- “He wasn’t given any extra benefits. If any- in three-game series against the times. fore he left for the Greater Toronto Hockey thing, he got more kicks in the butt. He didn’t United States this summer, as well Where is her famous son, John, really from? League — and in the OMLA are set up in the ask for anything special, either. John was al- as at the 2016 U18 women’s world “He was born in Mississauga,” Tavares said restaurant, banners of support are hung on the ways the type that said ‘I want to work for it.’” championship and 2016 Nations of her firstborn, the New York Islanders super- walls, and Tavares T-shirts designed by Mac- John cracked the roster of MacDougall’s team Cup, and with Canada’s national star who came within nine seconds Sunday of Dougall will be given away. when he was nine years old. A few years later, women’s team. winning his first career NHL scoring title. “But The menu has also been altered to include a Tavares would be named the MVP of the pro- Following the strength and con- when we left the Mississauga hospital, we went few of John’s favourite home-cooked meals that vincial championships, even though the Hawks ditioning camp, Hockey Canada to our Oakville home, and we’re still there. reflect his Portuguese and Polish background. finished third. scouts will continue to evaluate “Maybe other people (are confused). But Barb sampled the patyczki (meat on a stick), MacDougall, who has stayed in touch with players at additional national team people who know us know that he was born perogies, veal parmesan and cabbage rolls Tavares over the years, drove to Pittsburgh last camps in August, and as they com- in Mississauga but that he lived in Oakville. It’s (John’s favourite, barbecued sardines, did not weekend to watch the Islanders centre in ac- pete with their club and school the same with my daughters (Laura and Barba- make the cut) Tuesday to ensure they tasted up tion against the Penguins. During MacDougall’s teams at various provincial and na- ra). They were born in the same hospital, and to her standards. visit, Tavares signed jerseys and shirts that will tional events, including the 2016 that was it.” “Patyczkies were easy to bring on the road. I be offered out as raffle prizes at Monaghan’s Esso Cup (the national female Read a story about John Tavares in a major always did them with pork,” Barb recalled. during the Islanders’ game nights in the play- midget championship) and both daily newspaper or visit his player profile on- “The trick is the marinating. And make sure offs. NCAA and Canadian Interuniver- line, and Mississauga is nearly always listed as you leave some of the fat in there.” MacDougall also invites any former team- sity Sport competition. his birthplace or hometown. Tavares played up one age level in OMLA system mates of Tavares to contribute pictures or Cece, Edgar, Bourbonnais, Cur- Technically, it may be correct. But it frus- MacDougall’s Oakville Hawks lacrosse team memorabilia to the displays, noting the items lew and Maltais won an Ontario trates people like Rob MacDougall, a well- was the one John Tavares always wanted to will be returned following the playoffs. Women’s Hockey Association title known sports artist who is one of Tavares’s play on as a kid. Though the players were as “We’d also like to raise some charity money, with the intermediate Hornets former coaches in the Oakville Minor Lacrosse many as two years older than John, they were so we’ll be sitting down with Rob and Barb to last weekend. O’Neill was part of Association. polished (wearing new MacDougall-designed determine the charity. This got thrown together the Provincial Women’s Hockey MacDougall is doing something about it jerseys each season), they were organized (a very quickly,” said Claudio Serrao, one of the League champion Stoney Creek this spring. He has teamed with Monaghan’s trait Barb taught John to appreciate at an early co-owners at Monaghan’s. Sabres, and Agnew played for the Sports Pub & Grill to make the Oakville bar age), and they were good. “I think all (of John’s) buddies and people PWHL’s Mississauga Chiefs. the ‘headquarters’ for Tavares fans in the NHL Several players from the team of 1988 and who look up to him would love to have one of Channell and McKibbon cur- playoffs, beginning with New York’s first-round 1989 birth years went on to play professional these T-shirts,” he added. rently play at the University of matchup with the Washington Capitals that got lacrosse, and some have since flourished in “Hopefully, this will establish his true resi- Wisconsin, and Capizzano is at underway Wednesday. other sports. dency.” Boston College..

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