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King of New York: John Tavares best player on any of the pro teams

Neil Best

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, then returned in 1985. His SportsWatch column debuted on Sept.

John Tavares found himself swarmed around noon Monday by a horde of reporters and camera crews, a sight not ordinarily seen after an off-day practice in Syosset.

But these are not ordinary times, not for the Islanders and not for their captain.

The scene in the suddenly way-too-small dressing room at Iceworks was another illustration of how far these Islanders have come — now well into the second round of the playoffs for the first time since Tavares was 2.