John Tavares had dreamed of playing for his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and becoming a hero for the franchise since he was a child who slept in Maple Leafs pajamas every night.
In 2018, Tavares left the New York Islanders as a free agent and signed a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Maple Leafs to fulfill his lifelong dream.
Tavares helped the team shed their playoff curse by defeating their longtime playoff rivals in the East 1st-Round series, a moment he had dreamed about since childhood.
John Tavares had experienced four postseason series losses in gut-wrenching deciding games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which were not what he had envisioned for his hometown team.
However, in the recent East 1st-Round series, Tavares was able to change the narrative with a decisive flick of his wrists.
The veteran forward described his goal as a simple attempt to put the puck on net and see what happens, but it ended up being the game-winning goal that helped the Maple Leafs shed their playoff curse and move on to the next round.
John Tavares' goal in the recent East 1st-Round series was the biggest one for the Toronto Maple Leafs in almost two decades.