Quick Shifts: How Maple Leafs’ John Tavares defies his age

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Ah, the two most beautiful words in sport: Game Seven Quick Shifts.

1. Yes, the detailed and dedicated regime of 500-goal scorer John Tavares features potions and amulets, bulging backpacks and strict sleep regimes. 

But getting off to the type of start the Toronto Maple Leafs centre has jumped to at age 35(!) — only teammate William Nylander has more even-strength points in the NHL than Tavares’s 12 this season — goes beyond nutrition and conditioning.

Wintertime production begins with summertime commitment. 

Andy O’Brien — personal trainer for Tavares, Sidney Crosby, and several other NHL stars — says there is “no magic” to the program he designs for the veteran. He and Tavares evaluate his needs and priorities each year, then the athlete attacks.

“It’s not the training program that has allowed him to be successful. It’s just the way John approaches being a professional. He’s just very detailed, focused. He’s very coachable,” O’Brien explains over the phone. 

“He’s somebody that’s very good to interact with. He asks great questions. He’s very much a student of his process. And that’s happening in his nutrition. It’s happening on the ice. It’s happening off the ice. It's just a tremendous amount of attention to detail and consistency. Effort. And I think that’s what makes John, John.”

General manager Brad Treliving likens his alternate captain to a fine wine.

“He gets better with age, but it’s not by accident,” Treliving says. “The work he puts in, the preparation he puts in is second to none, to any athlete I’ve been around.”

O’Brien raves about the humility of the NHL’s 48th-overall all-time goal-scorer and 63rd-overall all-time point-getter. But Tavares’s ability to embarrass Father Time doesn’t surprise him.

“Never takes anything for granted. With those types of players that are all in and are very open-minded and are very good to work with, they typically have a resiliency that really defines them,” O’Brien says. 

“For John to go through certain seasons where there’s a little bit of decline, you can almost guarantee he’s going to bounce back and he’s going to adapt. He’ll think through it and make observations and understand what needs to be modified or changed across the board, and then he’ll be able to adapt that way.”

Tavares latest adaptations include ordering special water to his hotel room for road games and packing his own special pillow to maximize elite shut-eye. Anthony Stolarz has spotted “gadgets” and some sort of back support apparatus.

“It’s always funny — something new comes out, some sort of technology, and he’s got it,” Anthony Stolarz says.

“It’s crazy,” marvels Cayden Primeau, new witness to the Tavares Travel Extravaganza. “He brings a big extra suitcase of things to make sure that he’s doing the right things.”

Craig Berube said some shipment of Tavares’s performance-enhancing groceries was dropped off at his hotel room by mistake during a recent road trip.

The coach wondered: Who would even want this stuff?

“It was a lot of water,” Tavares clarifies. (Safe to say it wasn’t Dasani.) “I was just stocking up and getting a few things that you like to have. I’m not the only one that cares what kind of water, what kind of things they like to drink and hydrate [with], and how they take care of themselves.”

While Tavares’s teammates respect the hustle, they won’t hesitate to chirp the future Hall of Famer about his extra carry-ons.

“It’s still fair game,” smirks Morgan Rielly. “We like to joke around about a lot of things and keep things light. And everyone’s a good sport about it. But what he’s able to do, I mean, the proof’s in the pudding. So, call it a joke, call it whatever. 

“But, you know, Johnny’s doing just fine.” 

2. Bummer that Tavares — that grownup boy who tucked himself into Maple Leafs–patterned bedsheets — has, ironically, had his biggest moments repping Toronto on the road.

Sure would be nice for Johnny Toronto to have a capital-M moment in the hometown he has represented with such class. Amid some raucous cheers and an outpouring of love.

3. Olympic hockey teams will board planes in three months. Which trio of goaltenders will have their Canadian passports scanned before bound for Milan is anyone’s guess.

None of the three netminders who won gold at the 4 Nations Face-Off have a winning record or a save percentage near league average.

Jordan Binnington (2-4-2, .860), Adin Hill (1-0-2, .888), and Samuel Montembeault (2-3-0, .842) all struggled in October. Hill is hurt. Montembeault is no longer Montreal’s undisputed No. 1.

Only three Canadian NHLers have both a winning record and a save percentage over .900 this season: Logan Thompson (5-2-0, .939), Jake Allen (5-1-0, .906), and Tristan Jarry (5-1-0, .923).

That group gets complicated.

Jarry got waived last season and has never backstopped his Penguins to a playoff series win. 

Allen has been superb for a strong Devils squad, giving No. 1 Jacob Markstrom plenty of time to heal, but the 35-year-old is very much on the outskirts of the national-team conversation.

And Thompson — so excellent last season as well and eager to rep his country — got passed over for 4 Nations and has an, um, interesting relationship with Team Canada coaches Bruce Cassidy and Peter DeBoer that dates back to shared time in Vegas, where he lost the gig to Hill.

Canada’s net is probably Binnington’s net until proven otherwise. He was awesome with everything on the line last February.

But how Doug Armstrong decides to fill the other spots is fascinating stuff. 

Who wants a ticket to Italy?

“We weren’t used to fans.” —Bill Armstrong, general manager of the red-hot Mammoth, explaining one of the reasons his team struggled its first season in Utah

5. As he sat at his stall inside his club’s practice facility Monday, Dakota Joshua did something he hasn’t done all too often during his Maple Leafs tenure.

“Big fantasy win for me to get back to .500,” said Joshua, whose NFL roster trumped that of teammate Philippe Myers on Sunday.

A Dearborn, Michigan, native and diehard Lions fan, Joshua began the week starting about as good as he has since being traded from the Vancouver Canucks. His Lions are rolling, and he’s finally on the board with his new team.

Slow to rebound from a troubling 2024-25 in which he survived testicular cancer, got stuck in the single digits for goals and assists, and was ultimately traded from Vancouver, the power forward potted timely goals in consecutive games for the Maple Leafs.

“I expected to have a better start,” admitted Joshua, echoing a sentiment shared by many in Leafs Nation hoping that the new guys would inject more juice.

“It’s tough. Everybody wants to start off strong, but the reality is, it’s not going to go that way for everybody. So, obviously tough. But just belief that everybody’s gonna have their time. Just keep working. So, it was nice to get rewarded.”

Joshua’s minus-7 rating is tied for the lowest among a Toronto group still mapping its way, but a couple goals, a couple big hits, and an increase in ice time have coincided with the 29-year-old’s rising comfort in the city that drafted him 11 years ago but never gave him a chance like this.

“Good for the confidence. Feels good to get my first one as a Leaf and just a good stepping stone to build off,” the third-liner said.

Ask the player how close he is to realizing his true potential with this team, however, and it’s a stumper.

“I don't know. It's a tough question,” he replies and repeats. 

“I feel like I can contribute night in and night out. But until it's seen again, proven, then… I don't know. I don't know what that what that looks like or what the time stamp is. It’s hard to really say.” 

The listener appreciates the honesty. Too often, struggling pro athletes will sell you with false confidence. 

“Some nights feel better than others, and that’s just way the game goes. Sometimes, things are going easy for you out there. It’s an easy flow. And then other times, it’s not. It’s more choppy, hard to get in the rhythm,” he continues. “But I definitely feel like, yeah, there’s still a lot more to go in my game.”

Joshua once ripped 18 goals in 63 games. That was two seasons and one traumatic health battle ago, though.

Good news is, he’s looking better as the reps pile up.

“I just think he’s feeling more comfortable as it’s going along here, and what we expect of them. You know, straight lines. That line’s been good for us,” Berube says. 

“They're doing a good job for us, providing good defence, killing penalties, and they're capitalized and scoring.”

Joshua has already seen a variety of linemates as he adjusts to life in a new city and in a new room. He likes to keep an open mind about whom he’s hopping the boards alongside.

“It doesn't matter. My game should be the same no matter who I’m playing with,” Joshua says. “But it does help when you have chemistry with the guys… just the predictability of certain players and what they like to do, or where they like to be positioned. So, that can go a long way. But, once again, something that like takes time.”

Among Canadian skaters, the super sophomore is tied with Nathan MacKinnon for second, racking up a couple more points than his idol, Sidney Crosby, who’s fifth.

That trio trained together in Halifax this summer, after the world championships and before Canada’s Olympic team-building event in late August.

“He’s an incredible player. His all-around game at his age is pretty impressive,” Crosby said of Celebrini, who is making Milan his mission. “He’s earned the right to be in the conversation.”

If the new face of the San Jose Sharks keeps this up, it should be a short conversation. 

It’s not only the offensive production that wows. The 19-year-old is winning most of his draws, logging nearly 21 minutes a night, and is a plus player on a minus-11 team.

Celebrini in Italy has a nice ring to it. 

7. Craig Berube, the hockey playe,r spent his formative NHL years as a face-punching Philadelphia Flyer, taken under the wing of winger Rick Tocchet, two years his senior, in the mid-’80s.

The tight friends will cross paths again Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena — one team trying to build relevance, the other trying to maintain it.

“Yeah, we go way back,” Berube said, fondly. “I came in as a rookie (in 1986-87) and I ended up living with him at his house. He kinda took care of me, showed me the ropes. And till this day, we’re still great friends. We talk almost daily. You know, he's coaching, I'm coaching, that kinda stuff. But overall, we’ve had a really good relationship for a long time. You know, he’s a great friend. Real good hockey mind and coach. So, I confide in him quite a bit about things.” 

Tocchet used Berube as a sounding board over the off-season leading up to the difficult decision to leave Vancouver and join his old team behind the bench.

“We’re not too scared to talk about our feelings on how to play the game or systems. I don’t talk to too many coaches, trust me, around the league. But Chief, I have no problem talking to. And vice versa,” Tocchet said. “When Chief won the Stanley Cup (in 2019), I was picking his brain.”

Their bond as teammates in Philly has evolved as they’ve become co-members of the coaches’ union.

“Going back to those days, that’s what the Flyers were all about,” Berube said. “I was fortunate enough to go there, end up playing there for a while, and being around a lot of good people.”

8. Has any NHLer rebranded himself better than Brad Marchand, transitioning from the player you love to hate to the player you love full-stop?

The Rat King not only took a break from sippy-cupping his teddy bear but also took a break from the Panthers so he could pinch-coach for a former trainer who lost his daughter to cancer this week.

So what if Florida is hampered by injuries and craves points in a jumbled Atlantic Division?

Marchand took a leave of absence from his team, flew back to his hometown of Halifax, N.S., and voluntarily coached the U18 March & Mill Co. Hunters for his longtime trainer, J.P. MacCallum.

MacCallum’s daughter, Selah, succumbed to cancer at the tragic age of 10 and needed to grieve with his family Wednesday night.

“This gesture reflects the true spirit of the hockey community in Nova Scotia, one built on compassion, loyalty, and connection that extends far beyond the rink,” Nova Scotia U18 Major Hockey League president Paul Graham said in a statement.

Marchand reportedly donated a signed jersey that will be auctioned off to raise money for MacCallum’s family.

“This is something that, this night here, Selah would’ve absolutely loved,” Marchand said in a video posted to social media. “That’s why we are doing it. She loved all of us. We all had great relationships with her, and she loved being a part of this organization and team with her dad. She would be very proud we are all here supporting her tonight and supporting her dad. It will be a special memory for us.”

9. Toronto rookie Easton Cowan was healthy scratched the night the Hughes hung a hat trick on the Maple Leafs. Watching the action from the rafters, the kid zeroed in on Dawson Mercer and, mostly, Hughes. Similarly undersized, Cowan was taking notes.

“His speed is that his feet are so good. Like, how he skates,” Cowan says. “The play goes through him, and he controls the game. So, he’s definitely a good player.”

So good, a healthy Hughes has nine goals and is tied — with six others — for top spot in the Rocket race.

10. The Colorado Avalanche simply could not let another one walk.

Already determining that Mikko Rantanen would be too pricy in free agency, how would it look if Joe Sakic’s front office let the speedy Martin Necas — another impact winger who meshes beautifully with team MVP Nathan MacKinnon — also get the bag elsewhere?

The player had leverage; the team had only months left to use an eighth year of term to its advantage, in terms of keeping Necas’s AAV in check.

As a result of Necas’s max-term, $92-million contract, MacKinnon gets a compatible running mate, Necas secures generational wealth, and GM Chris MacFarland saves a little face with an AAV ($11.5 million) that slides under Rantanen’s in Dallas ($12 million).

Next up in Denver: Cale Makar, whose UFA status in 2027 and seven-year maximum term should ensure the defenceman’s next contract will become the new high bar in the Mile High City. (Makar should also dethrone Erik Karlsson — another $11.5-million cap hit — as hockey’s highest-paid defenceman.)

Next up in the NHL: Wingers Adrian Kempe in L.A., Artemi Panarin in New York, and Alex Tuch in Buffalo shouldn’t need any more comparables to start drilling down on extensions.

If things don’t work out with their current teams, it’s because either the team or the player wants to move on. Panarin’s best days may be behind him, at age 34. But under no circumstances should L.A. or Buffalo be willing to lose offensive talent. Both rank below league average in goals per game.

11. Some eyebrow-raising commentary by Don Waddell on Wednesday’s episode of Real Kyper & Bourne.

Pending restricted free agents are locking in fast these days while eight-year contracts are still a thing (word to Logan Cooley). Naturally, the Blue Jackets GM has been discussing the future of Adam Fantilli (RFA 2026) with the 21-year-old’s agent, Pat Brisson.

Waddell noted how important point production is for this wave of platform players but stressed how earning the coaches’ trust and contributing to winning means so much to the franchises considering extending.

Fantilli tucked 31 goals last season. 

The presumed upward trajectory has yet to materialize, though.

The third-overall draft pick is off to a shaky start, scoring just two goals and five points. He’s a dash-3. His ice time has dropped from 17:29 to 15:58.

The message is thinly veiled: Waddell and the Jackets need to see more before opening the coffers.

12. Caught the John Candy documentary this week and loved it. 

I Like Me — titled after Candy’s memorable monologue in Planes, Trains and Automobiles — is directed by noted hockey fan Colin Hanks, who was able to land father Tom for an exclusive one-on-one on his muse.

So many great learnings in the film, but let’s stick to sports.

I came away with a better understanding of how Candy, who sought and found the best in everyone he met, got duped by Bruce McNall in his co-ownership of the Toronto Argonauts.

More compelling, though, was how invested the star actor was in the CFL franchise. Not financially, but emotionally, extending himself in his free time to make appearances on behalf of the team. 

The Hollywood star hung out around the bench in games, not way up in the suites. He tapped The Blues Brothers to perform on opening night. And there is footage of him running onto the field to help injured players off. Wild.

McNall flew Candy, fellow co-owner Wayne Gretzky, Martin Short and others on the L.A. Kings’ private plane to Winnipeg so they could watch their team win the 1991 Grey Cup in front of 50,000 plus. Kinda forgot how the Canadian Football League was once a vibe. Gretzky’s baggy ’90s suits are coming back around, so there is that.

Photographs of Candy hoisting the Cup capture the troubled soul at his most joyous.

A year ago, my family was weighing high school options for my teenage son. When we toured Neil McNeil in the east end of Toronto and stumbled across a mini shrine to Uncle Buck, Neil’s most famous alumnus. I was sold.

Great flick. Better man.