If you thought that New York Islanders fans would save a harsh welcome for John Tavares in first game back to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, you’d still be surprised to see what the Islanders had in store for the now-Maple Leafs star.
After playing his first nine seasons with New York, Tavares opted to go home and sign with the Maple Leafs on a seven-year, $77 million deal.
Islanders fans felt betrayed because they expected Tavares to value the opinions of a bunch of strangers over what was ultimately best for him and his career. You know, as sports fans tend to do.
And when it came time for Thursday’s game, Islanders fans let Tavares hear it.
From the moment he stepped on the ice, there were loud boos.
And it got worse during the pregame skate (NSFW language).
Then, fans tried to throw stuff at him.
That included a plastic snake.
Others opted to burn jerseys that they had already purchased because that’ll show him!
And the fans didn’t let up, as they chanted this while up 6-1 in third period:
