John Tavares (lacrosse)

On Saturday February 18, 2006, the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Minnesota Swarm by a score of 14–9 in front of 12,458 fans at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. In that game, John Tavares tied the NLL Career Points (goals + assists) record at 1,091 points held by Gary Gait, who had retired after the 2005 season.{{cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=589|work=NLL.com|title=Bandits Beat Swarm 14–9, Tavares Ties Record|date=February 18, 2006|access-date=2007-05-28}}

On Saturday March 4, 2006, 10,961 fans witnessed history. On that night, the Buffalo Bandits played their 7th regular season game again hosting the Minnesota Swarm, and Tavares scored two points in an 11–8 loss. The first was his 1,092nd career point, the record-breaker, which was an assist to Mark Steenhuis who scored a power-play goal at 11:57 in the second period. (The second point, Point 1,093, was also an assist to Steenhuis in the third period.) Play was stopped, and Tavares was given the game ball.{{cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=556|work=NLL.com|title=Tavares Breaks Points Record, Bandits Fall|date=March 7, 2006|access-date=2007-05-28}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bandits.com/newsarchive.cfm?id=360 |work=Bandits.com |title=Tavares Breaks Scoring Record |date=March 4, 2006 |last=Wheeler |first=Brian |author2=Zita McKenna |access-date=2007-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928200951/http://www.bandits.com/newsarchive.cfm?id=360 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/tsn/news_story.asp?id=157181|title=Tavares breaks NLL scoring record|work=TSN.com|date=March 4, 2006|access-date=2007-05-28}}

On Saturday January 20, 2008, Tavares scored his 597th career goal (against goalie Matt Vinc) in a win over the New York Titans, passing Gary Gait and becoming the NLL's all-time leader in goals scored.{{cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=3246 |title=Tavares Breaks Goal Scoring Record |work=NLL.com |date=January 19, 2008 |access-date=2008-01-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119131952/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3246 |archive-date=January 19, 2008 }} May 17, 2008 Tavares won his fourth championship and first since 1996. The Bandits beat the Portland Lumberjax in the championship game with the help of two Tavares goals.

During the 2009 NLL season, he was named to the All-Star Game.{{cite web|url=http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3811|title=All-Star reserves announced |date=February 19, 2009|publisher=NLL.com|access-date=2009-03-05}}

• Games Played: 344
• Career Goals: 899
• Career Assists: 1,050
• Career Points: 1,949
• Loose Balls: 2,464
• Tavares was the first player in NLL history to have 500 goals and 500 assists.

• No. 1: Jan. 4, 1992, assist to Rich Kilgour vs. New York in first game.
• 100: March 20, 1993, goal vs. Detroit's Paul Mootz in 16th game.
• 200: Jan. 20, 1996, goal vs. Baltimore's J.J. Pearl in 34th game.
• 300: Feb. 7, 1997, assist to Darris Kilgour vs. Baltimore in 47th game.
• 400: Jan. 8, 1999, goal vs. Philadelphia's Dallas Eliuk in 62nd game.
• 500: Feb. 18, 2000, goal vs. Rochester's Pat O'Toole in 78th game.
• 600: Feb. 10, 2001, goal vs. Washington's Devin Dalep in 91st game.
• 700: Feb. 1, 2002, assist to Chris Driscoll vs. Montreal in 107th game.
• 800: Feb. 8, 2003, assist to Mike Accursi vs. Toronto in 122nd game.
• 900: Feb. 14, 2004, goal vs. Anaheim's Matt Disher in 139th game.
• 1,000: Feb. 19, 2005, assist to Delby Powless vs. Rochester in 154th game.
• 1,091: Feb. 18, 2006, assist to Cory Bomberry vs. Minnesota in 169th game. (Ties Gary Gait's then-existing NLL Career Points Record)
• 1,092: March 4, 2006, assist to Mark Steenhuis vs. Minnesota in 170th game. (New NLL Career Points Record)
• 1,600: March 17, 2012, goal vs. Minnesota in 259th game.
• 1,949: May 8, 2015, assist to Dhane Smith vs. Rochester in (Division Semifinal) game 349. (final tally)

Reference:{{cite web|url=https://www.nll.com/players/player?id=398927|title=Player National Lacrosse League|access-date=March 9, 2020|work=NLL.com}}

{{NLLCareerStats

|player_name_link=John Tavares (lacrosse)

|player_name=John Tavares

|season1_year=1992

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|season6_year=1997

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|season6_playoff_assists=9

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|season7_penalty_minutes=8

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|season7_playoff_assists=5

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|season8_year=1999

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|season8_goals=33

|season8_assists=34

|season8_loose_balls=112

|season8_penalty_minutes=35

|season9_year=2000

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|season9_games_played=12

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|season10_year=2001

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|season11_year=2002

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|season13_penalty_minutes=25

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|season13_playoff_assists=13

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|season17_playoff_assists=14

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|season19_assists=28

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|season19_penalty_minutes=22

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|season19_playoff_assists=2

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|season20_year=2011

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|season20_penalty_minutes=10

|season20_playoff_games_played=1

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|season20_playoff_assists=4

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|season21_games_played=16

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|season21_assists=39

|season21_loose_balls=53

|season21_penalty_minutes=8

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|season21_playoff_goals=2

|season21_playoff_assists=1

|season21_playoff_loose_balls=3

|season22_year=2013

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|season22_games_played=12

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|season22_assists=25

|season22_loose_balls=38

|season22_penalty_minutes=6

|season23_year=2014

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|season23_assists=27

|season23_loose_balls=78

|season23_penalty_minutes=31

|season23_playoff_games_played=3

|season23_playoff_goals=7

|season23_playoff_assists=5

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|season24_year=2015

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|season24_penalty_minutes=6

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}}

Tavares' teams have won seven Mann Cups, 1992 and 1993 with the Brampton Excelsiors, 1994 through 1996 with the Six Nations Chiefs, 2002 with the Victoria Shamrocks, and 2012 with the Peterborough Lakers. In 1992, 1993, and 1996, Tavares won the Mike Kelley Memorial Trophy as most valuable player in the Mann Cup competition.{{cite web|url=http://bible-of-lacrosse.com/newstats/manncup.txt |title=Historical Stats of the Mann Cup |work=Bible-of-Lacrosse.com |access-date=2007-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013004812/http://www.bible-of-lacrosse.com/newstats/manncup.txt |archive-date=2007-10-13 }} Tavares also won the Major Series Lacrosse scoring title eight times, and the MSL's Most Valuable Player award three times.{{cite web|url=http://bible-of-lacrosse.com/newstats/players.txt |title=Player Profiles: John Tavares Stats |work=Bible-of-Lacrosse.com |access-date=2007-08-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013003540/http://www.bible-of-lacrosse.com/newstats/players.txt |archive-date=2007-10-13 }} Tavares played Ontario Junior A lacrosse for the Mississauga Tomahawks.

{{MedalTableTop|name=no}}

{{Medal|Sport|Indoor lacrosse}}

{{Medal|Country|{{CAN}}}}

{{Medal|Competition|World Championships}}

{{Medal|Gold|2003 Toronto|}}

{{Medal|Gold|2007 Halifax|}}

{{MedalBottom}}

John Tavares represented Canada internationally. He played for his home country in the 2003{{cite news|title=World Indoor Lacrosse Championship rosters |url=http://www.lacrosse-network.com/outsidersguide/news030515a.htm |work=Outsider's Guide|date=15 May 2003 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808133244/http://www.lacrosse-network.com/outsidersguide/news030515a.htm |archive-date=August 8, 2008}} and in the 2007{{cite news|title=2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship Canada roster |url=http://www.worldindoorlacrosse.com/pdf/CanadaFinalsRoster-2007.pdf |work=World Indoor Lacrosse|date=25 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020124349/http://www.worldindoorlacrosse.com/pdf/CanadaFinalsRoster-2007.pdf |archive-date=October 20, 2007}} World Championships, winning the gold medal in both.

• NLL records

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last1=Jacob|first1=Richard L.|title=John Tavares Soul to the Goal|date=2017|publisher=Sustain Progress, LLC|isbn=9780692868324|pages=92|language=en}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150928082810/http://www.bandits.com/newsX.asp?type=News&aID=317 JOHN TAVARES NAMED TO 2012 NLL ALL-PRO TEAM] (from 2012)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120730060420/http://www.bandits.com/newsX.asp?type=Features&aID=247 TAVARES LOOKS BACK ON ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON] (from 2011)
• [http://www.plpa.com/spotlight/week2.html Professional Lacrosse Players Association John Tavares Interview] (from 1999)

{{s-start}}

{{succession box | before = Gary Gait | title = MILL Championship game MVP | years = 1992, 1993 | after = Paul Gait}}

{{succession box | before = none | title = MILL MVP | years = 1994 | after = Gary Gait}}

{{succession box | before = Gary Gait | title = NLL MVP | years = 2000, 2001 | after = Paul Gait}}

{{s-end}}

{{Buffalo Bandits}}

{{NLL MVPs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavares, John}}

Category:1968 births

Category:Buffalo Bandits coaches

Category:Buffalo Bandits players

Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States

Category:Canadian lacrosse players

Category:Victoria Shamrocks players

Category:Canadian people of Portuguese descent

Category:Sportspeople of Portuguese descent

Category:D'Youville University alumni

Category:Living people

Category:National Lacrosse League All-Stars

Category:National Lacrosse League major award winners

Category:Lacrosse players from Toronto