John Tavares: How Bad do the Isles Need Him?

BAD! Never has anything been more obvious.

Remember the days of the once glorious Islanders led by such names as Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith? Long gone are the players brought to Long Island by the once great GM Bill Torrey. Their legacy does live on with the four straight Cups they won us, but with each passing year (almost 25) the Islanders become more and more forgotten as much to the fans dismay they have become the doormat of the NHL. And that is in more ways than just on the ice.

With the Winter Classic just recently having been played at Wrigley Field, talk now turns to who will host the next two annual events. The obvious hosts are New York and Boston. If you do enough research on the web, you would find out that the Islanders actually tried to get an outdoor game going at Yankee Stadium, which is soon to be replaced. If you know enough about the situation you would be aware of the fact that even though the Islanders initiated the idea, they are not the NHL's choice to play in the game if it were to ever happen. The consensus seems to be Rangers versus Boston.

Why? Well some site the Islanders have no star power. If Tavares does find his way to the Islanders, that would change. An Islanders/Rangers Winter Classic could easily be possible by 2011 if the NHL was willing to wait a year and give 2010's matchup to Boston, say versus Toronto.

Basically, John Tavares would get the Islanders the Winter Classic.

What else would change should the Islanders win Tavares? Well, for one....if Long Islanders are truly passionate about their team, then this phenom alone should begin to sell the building out on a nightly basis. We're talking about a possible Crosby or Ovechkin type of player, a player the Islanders have not quite seen since 1986. Yes, the Islanders have had some nice players since then like Pat LaFontaine, Pierre Turgeon and Zigmund Palffy. But were any of those players ever named to the end of season first or second all star team? Bossy was the last player to do it for the Islanders in 1986.

What else? Oh, he would get the Islanders on national TV possibly twice as much as the team currently receives. There would be more revenue for Mr. Wang, who is losing money by the boat load. More players would want to come play on Long Island. But that is not the biggest thing Tavares would bring to the Islanders.

John Tavares would bring the Lighthouse Project to fruition. He may be the only thing that will get it done. Tavares may be the only one to raise interest in the team again which will eventually light a fire under Nassau County to finally allow the project to get done.

So basically it's like this for the Islanders: John Tavares = better team, no longer doormat, Winter Classic, Lighthouse Project & new building....ANDDD, hopefully someday...the Stanley Cup.

Without him, these things may never happen.