John Tavares turned down a lifetime of free bagels for Toronto
When news broke that John Tavares had signed a $77-million, seven-year deal that ends his time with the New York Islanders, Torontonians were overjoyed. Others, not so much.
#Isles have enacted the scorched Earth policy on #JohnTavares and removed any reference of him in the practice facility as of 9:30pm on 7/1. Window clings, player sign board, and take-a-photo signage all removed. pic.twitter.com/RZ3JwMvTks
— Chris Mollo (@MahaloMollo) July 2, 2018
Tavares was born in Mississauga and posted a sweet message to his new team and his new(ish) city.
Not everyday you can live a childhood dream pic.twitter.com/YUTKdfMALl
— John Tavares (@91Tavares) July 1, 2018
But Tavares was not so quick to forget his old city. He gave an emotional goodbye to the Islanders.
An emotional John Tavares says goodbye to the Islanders pic.twitter.com/BKss7rN9tL
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) July 1, 2018
This sudden move by Tavares, despite the heartfelt goodbye, left a lot of Islanders fans pretty upset and angry.
My dynasty-era dad explicitly instructed me to tweet “John Tavares is clearly this year’s winner of the Kirk Muller Award, an honor given to former Islanders who showed complete ingratitude to the organization and the fans”
— ariana grandslam (@stickpuckturtle) July 3, 2018
I’m a little too green for this reference #isles
A bagel chain in New York state is using their product to acknowledge the fanbase's heartache, and also to keep them from burning old Tavares jerseys.
Two Bagel Boss locations in the state are running a deal where customers can trade in their Tavares Islanders jersey for a dozen bagels.
@donaldrosner just exchanged 2 JT shirts for 1/2 dozen bagels! The #bagelboss in Hickville, LI offered 2 dozen, but I only wanted 6. So 'Ari' threw in an iced coffee and a program from the 80-81 season! #bagelsfor91 #FUJT. pic.twitter.com/TxWFazvCtW
— THOR NATION (@THOR_NATION) July 3, 2018
The hashtag used in the tweet, #bagelsFor91, was actually started by David Rosner and his cousin Donald Rosner — owners of Bagel Boss locations — as part of the campaign to offer Tavares an unlimited supply of bagels for life if he signed with the Islanders again.
@91Tavares John, i own a bagel store. The best bagels in New York. If you stay with us I will personally deliver bagels to you and your wife fresh every morning for the rest of your or my life. We love you John. Please, stay here where u were born and get us a cup.
— donald rosner (@donaldrosner) June 24, 2018
The offer didn't change the outcome and the Rosners told Newsday that any Tavares items returned to them would be donated to charity.
"This was a difficult decision by him and we have to respect his decision and appreciate what he’s done for Long Island," said David, co-owner of the Bagel Boss in Hicksville, to Newsday. "And it’s straight up disrespectful to burn his apparel."
