John Tavares was offered plenty of enticements to remain a member of the New York Islanders beyond a long-term contract worth tens of millions of dollars. Fans who ran local businesses offered a lifetime supply of beer, a lifetime supply of cheesecake, and, from Donald Rosner of Bagel Boss, a lifetime supply of those doughy rings.
Rosner was hoping all of it was enough to keep Tavares, the team's superstar center, from leaving as a free agent when the market opened on July 1.
"I was literally sitting at the edge of my couch, refreshing Twitter.