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John Tavares: Doing it All |
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For additional random notes of mine from the presser, please check http://7thwoman.blogspot.com/2009/07/random-notes-from-jt-introduction.html.
It was a great day for me. I arrived at the press conference on time. I didn’t fall off my platform shoes. I managed to spend some quality time with friends I haven’t seen in awhile. And I asked the questions I had practiced all day in the car.
I fretted over wearing my traditional Islanders colors all morning. I had thought of only two questions that I was assuming no one else would ask. Thinking that I would need to say them in front of the entire main stream media, the ITV cameras and the fans, I practiced them in the car over and over. Each time, I screwed them up. I banged my head on the steering wheel.
I went to work until 11:30 and clocked out to get to the Coliseum by 11:45 am. It was perfect timing. The car was on autopilot. It was an odd feeling pulling up to the barn knowing there was no game, but that I would be seeing everyone I knew.
As directed, I went through gate 5 to security. “Where are your credentials?” I knew that was coming.
“I don’t have them. I’m on the list.” Yes, two years later, and I still don’t have permanent credentials. I’m working on it.
It took a few minutes, but they let me in. There was supposed to be lunch. Remember, it’s not journalism unless they feed you. Well, it was hiding. Lunch was in some sort of secret location that unless you had a clue, you couldn’t find it.
There were three rows of seats with “Reserved for Media” designations on them in front of the jumbotron. I found in seat in the second row next to Greg Maker from Hometown Media Group. You’ll actually know him as “the guy who asked Tavares about playing for a losing team.”
Greg is not actually a Ranger fan. He’s just a reporter looking to cover hockey. He drove quite a distance to be there today.
I sat with Brad Kurtzberg from Inside Hockey, Ken Dick from OkposoNet and Brett Schmitt from Former Islander Watch. Also sitting with us was Mark Herrmann from Newsday while Greg Logan and Chris Botta sat at a table with internet service against the boards.
Howie Rose looked thin. I was told it was because the Mets were losing so badly. Rose had a golf shirt on, and was quickly ushered to the offices to put on an Islanders shirt.
Our TV analyst, Billy Jaffe stood on the stage in a suit with no tie and two days worth of a beard that is showing signs of grey.
John Tavares took the stage to a rousing round of applause. I hope you were able to see it on ITV today. It was short, somewhat comical, but not exactly telling. This was actually for the fans in attendance and those who had purchased season tickets.
John’s family sat in the front row to my row. They were pleased and amused by the chats of “Tavares” rising up from the crowd. Some of the younger media boys around me made comments that JT’s sister is ‘hot.’ I had to laugh thinking that if he heard them; he probably would have leapt from the stage to protect his sister.
Tavares has a quiet demeanor. He is not flashy or arrogant. He has that sophisticated Canadian personality and the classic NHL humbleness. He spoke highly of the Islanders organization and the fans. He expressed his desire to bring winning back to the Islanders. He basically said all the right things, but he said them from the heart.
Garth Snow also said something I have not heard him say before. He has always professed his love for the fan base. But today he expressed his desire to remain here and raise his children here. Basically, he wants to live out his life on Long Island. Perhaps this was to answer the Kansas City move question, or it was just a statement about how much he likes it. Either way, it was sincere.
Jaffe ran the Q&A portion of the 30 minute press conference. I believe only four questions were actually asked. All my rehearsing was for nothing.
But after the fans had been told the party was over, the media was herded behind the curtain to break off into groups to ask their questions.
Now was my chance, but the crowd around Tavares was too large. I spied Mark Herrmann talking to John’s parents about the pronunciation of their name. Basically it was the Tomato/TomAHto argument between husband and wife. It was pretty comical actually.
But here was my chance to ask one of my rehearsed questions as I stood in front of Mrs. Tavares. I introduced myself and asked what she had said to him immediately after he was drafted.
“I didn’t’ really say anything.” Okay, so I was somewhat surprised at that answer. I prodded further and asked perhaps what was running through her head.
“It was probably more like ‘you did it. It’s the end now. The end of all the speculating.” I can see where the calm confident demeanor comes from.
As John has been dealing with the media since he started in juniors when he was 14, he should have no problem dealing with the NY media that surrounds the NY Islanders. But Mrs. Tavares surprised me by offering up the fact that “… prior to that he was very quiet. He’s done it on his own. He knows the topic. He knows hockey so he’s comfortable doing it. Because before that he was very quiet, and even outside of it, he IS very quiet.”
I decided to ask her about college for her son, as I had asked Josh Bailey about it when I first met him.
“John, he says all the time, he wants to do everything in life. As all of us do, but he has a lot of buddies who are doing the school route and he hears the stories of that. He sees on TV the stories of kids going away to University and he says ’I wish I could do that.’ But then he realizes they can’t do what he’s doing. So he knows it’s there and he says many times, when he’s able, he’ll go back to school. You see people in their 30s and 40s going back. It’s very common now to go back to school.” She said with a mother’s knowing of her son’s maturity.
By the way, Jeff Tambellini has been taking classes all along to finish up his degree.
I was able to spend a few moments alone with Garth Snow. That is not an easy feat when there is a horde of reporters in one room. But so many of them were crowded around John Tavares that Garth had room to walk around and mingle. I asked Garth the second question that I had been practicing all day in the car.
“So Garth, I know that being chosen first overall in the NHL draft comes with certain responsibilities. Just as Sidney Crosby was drafted first, do you think John is ready to handle those responsibilities such as …. Babysitting your kids the way Sidney babysat for Mario’s?”
It was obvious he wasn’t expecting this question. The man who is accused of not smiling enough let out a hardy laugh and looked down at me with a warm smile. “Well, we haven’t discussed that yet.”
But certainly John, don’t think your status will get you out of domestic duties around the Islanders family. Your turn will come.
Everyone involved in the draft said that Garth Snow never let on who he was going to announce at that podium. Even Scott Gordon didn’t know.
I asked the man who spends so much time using computers to work with the players whether he already has a folder filled with video with Tavares’ name on it on his computer. “I need a new one.” I was surprised considering he had three. “Well, I got rid of two.” It seems Scott is trying to migrate from the PC world to Macs. And once again I realized how cerebral Scott Gordon is. He will use every tool he can to better this team.
As of right now, the best tool in his arsenal is -- John Tavares.
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