Tavares continuing to hold off Father Time for Maple Leafs

TORONTO -- John Tavares had a childhood that was saturated with hockey, from skating on the backyard rink at the home of his buddy and future NHL player Sam Gagner to playing on the Ontario Blues summer league team with Steven Stamkos as an 11-year-old.

Now, it appears the Toronto Maple Leafs forward is passing on that love of the game to his kids.

There he was Tuesday, on the ice at Scotiabank Arena with his two sons, 5-year-old Jace and 3-year-old Axton, all the while smiling ear to ear. It’s a good bet they’re his favorite linemates ever.

“It’s cool to get them out on the big rink and take it all in and spend some time with them,” Tavares said. “They’ve taken to the game. It has been a lot of fun sharing it with them all season long, and to get some moments like that. I really enjoyed it.”

Whether it’s watching Jace skate effortlessly around the rink or seeing Axton picking the top corner of the net with relative ease (again, at 3, no less), it’s easy to tell they are following in their father’s footsteps, even at such young ages.

“It’s all day every day throughout the hockey season,” Tavares said. “Having me around, they can’t get away from it in general. It has been a lot of fun just watching them grow as little kids and enjoy the game.

“I’ve talked about that, to have that bond as a parent, father, son, with my daughter (Rae) as well, for them to see what I do, what I love to do every day and they’ve taken to it themselves, it’s great to share with them.”

In the end, if one of Dad’s lessons to the boys is adopting his work ethic, they couldn’t have a better teacher.

After all, the proof is on display almost every day of the hockey season.

At age 34, Tavares continues to hold off Father Time. Regularly one of the first players on the ice and last players off it on practice days, he has reached the 60-point mark (30 goals, 31 assists) for the 13th time in his 16-season NHL career, including his 30th goal in a 5-2 loss at the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

The Maple Leafs (42-25-3) remain tied with the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. And as they battle for playoff seeding, they can be buoyed by the fact that Tavares is showing no signs of slowing down.

Indeed, Tavares had two goals and an assist in Toronto’s 4-3 victory at the New York Rangers on Thursday to become the eighth active player with 1,100 points (486 goals, 615 assists) as he works his way toward a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day.

His pal, Predators foward Steven Stamkos, seems destined for enshrinement down the road as well. The Predators forward has scored six goals in his past nine games, including the 578th of his NHL career in Nashville’s 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, passing Hall of Famer Mark Recchi for 22nd on the all-time list.

As kids in the Toronto area, Tavares and Stamkos played against each other a number of times before becoming teammates with the Blues, the summer league team that also featured future NHLers Alex Pietrangelo, Cody Hodgson and Michael Hutchinson. Stamkos and Tavares would go on to be selected No. 1 in the NHL Draft in successive years; Stamkos by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, Tavares by the New York Islanders in 2009.

It’s been quite the journey for both, especially now that they are dads with hockey-crazed kids. In the case of Stamkos, his eldest boy, 5-year-old Carter, has loved Zambonis from the time he first started coming to rinks to see his dad play, another link to the sport between father and son.

To Tavares, the hockey odysseys for him and Stamkos, from being tots to teammates to hockey dads, are something to be embraced.

“I think at times, and we probably both think, about the journey and the big picture, and certainly where we’re at now,” Tavares said. “And I think as you get older, you have more of an appreciation of things. I think that’s just natural in life, but you just try to enjoy each and every day and never take it for granted. I think that’s part of the appreciation as you get older.

“When you look back through your childhood, through junior hockey and earning the opportunity to play in the NHL, then trying to become an elite player and have success, and certainly then getting to this point in your career where you’re still having fun and playing at a high level, it’s always great. And so, it’s always cool to see guys you grew up with have the careers they’ve had, an even more appreciation for what the game means and what it’s brought to your life.”

Tavares can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has repeatedly said he wants to remain with the Maple Leafs. This much is certain: His consistency as almost a point-per-game player has been impressive.

And not just to Jace and Axton.