Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares has joined the 500-goal club.
The veteran centre scored in the third period on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets to reach the plateau and record his sixth marker of the season.
Tavares was muted in his celebration with the goal leaving the Maple Leafs still down 6-2 with less than five minutes to play.
“You play this game to win as a team, and it’s all about the team,” Tavares said. ”And you know, you’d like to have had it made more of an impact in the game. But for sure, in the days ahead and moments ahead, I’ll appreciate it more.
“Obviously, a lot’s gone into it and a lot of support along the way from many people, mainly from my teammates and coaches and people close to me, my family. So, thank you.”
Tavares also joined Hall-of-Famer Lanny McDonald for 48th on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list. Up next is Joe Mullen in 47th place with 502.
Tavares now has 1,128 points in 1,195 career NHL regular season games.
“It’s amazing,” Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews said. ”I can’t say enough great things about Johnny, the person that he is, the teammate, the professional, the guy that shows up to the rink every day and is one of the hardest workers, takes care of himself in all different ways.
“So, I feel very lucky to call him a great friend, a teammate, a guy that all of us are extremely happy for. Tonight’s a big accomplishment.”
The Mississauga, Ont. native is in his eighth season with the Leafs after beginning his career during the 2009-10 season with the New York Islanders.
