Islanders Hope John Tavares Will Return Team To Prominence

Islanders See Ticket Sales Boost Following Selection Of Tavares

Patience Required: NEWSDAY wrote, “Don’t expect to see John Tavares’ face on a billboard overlooking the LIE just yet.” Islanders Owner Charles Wang is “taking the low-key approach with his new No. 1 pick.” Wang: “This is no Jesus-savior kind of thing. This ain’t like getting LeBron James, as good as (Tavares) is” (NEWSDAY, 6/27). On Long Island, Anders Lee wrote Tavares “knows the ropes in terms of fulfilling his responsibilities as the new face of a franchise.” Tavares said the “main thing is you’ve got to win. That’s the biggest thing to attract attention is to bring a winning product on the ice, and obviously, that’s the first step in getting a club that can compete for a playoff spot and make the playoffs” (NEWSDAY.com, 6/27).

STAR POWER: On Long Island, Arthur Staple noted the Islanders are “desperate for a star of some kind,” and they will “market the heck out of Tavares.” They “will do that because they have to, because there’s nothing else to keep the fans coming into the building” (NEWSDAY, 6/27). Staple today writes the Islanders “won the NHL draft … there’s no questioning that,” but they “won’t be doing much more winning through the 2009-10 season” (NEWSDAY, 6/29). On Long Island, Greg Logan wrote Tavares “brings his own star with him to a team that is desperate for the boost at the box office” (NEWSDAY, 6/27). Tavares threw out the first pitch before yesterday’s Yankees-Mets game at Citi Field (NEWSDAY.com, 6/28).

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