That was not the case for Toronto Maple Leafs alternate captain John Tavares when he returned to his old Long Island stomping grounds at Nassau Coliseum last Thursday.
This was Tavares’ first time back to the home of the New York Islanders since he made his free agent decision to sign a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Leafs last summer, and the Isles fans welcomed him back with the warm sounds of booing and name calling.
“Liar!” “Traitor!” “We don’t need you!” These were just some of the “cleaner” words that were yelled at Tavares throughout the night, not to mention the numerous signs that depicted Tavares as a snake, old Tavares jerseys that displayed the word “traitor” across the back nameplate – fans even burned Tavares jerseys outside the arena before the game – and the multiple rubber snakes that fans threw on the ice at him.