The New York Islanders sent a personal statement to former captain and franchise player John Tavares: “We don’t need you.”
Both Islanders and Maple Leafs fans have had December 29 penciled in their calendars for months. For Islanders fans, this is only the beginning of what is to eventually come on Feb. 28, 2019. For Leafs fans, this was only a sample of the vitriol hundreds of thousands of Islanders fans will begin to unleash for years to come.
In a contest of personal grudges, the Islanders take the first round with a commanding 4-0 victory.