Tavares excited to make Maple Leafs debut at Hockeyville Canada

John Tavares will make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut Tuesday in a quaint rural rink full of hundreds of fans, not a glitzy NHL arena stuffed with thousands.

He wouldn't have it any other way.
"It'll be fun to have my first game as a Leaf like that," Tavares told NHL.com at training camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario, this weekend. "It'll be great to be a part of it."
Tavares will be in the lineup when the Maple Leafs play the Ottawa Senators at Lucan Community Memorial Centre as part of Kraft Hockeyville Canada in the first 2018 preseason game for each team (7:30 p.m.; NHLN, SN, TVAS).
RELATED: [Lucan embracing Kraft Hockeyville | Kadri ready for return to Lucan]
"I know how important and amazing an event like this is for these communities," Tavares said. "It's going to be a great evening."
Tavares, who turns 28 on Thursday, is well aware of how hockey is part of the cultural fabric of southwestern Ontario after spending his final few months in the Ontario Hockey League playing in London, 17 miles south of Lucan.
Tavares was traded by Oshawa to London along with defenseman Michael Del Zotto and goaltender Daryl Borden for defenseman Scott Valentine, forward Christian Thomas, goaltender Michael Zador and six draft picks on Jan. 8, 2009. Two months later, he set the league goal-scoring record with the 214th of his OHL career, breaking the mark of 213 set by Peter Lee from 1972-76.
Tavares credits London coach Dale Hunter and GM Mark Hunter for tweaking his game as part of the process to make him NHL-ready. Tavares subsequently was selected No. 1 in the 2009 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders. He spent nine seasons with the Islanders before signing a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Maple Leafs on July 1.

"It was a lot of fun playing in that area, and it brings back a lot of good memories," Tavares said. "It wasn't a long time that I was there, but I had a great time playing for the Hunters and the Knights and in the city of London.
"It was a great time in my life and helped me prepare for the draft. A lot of good memories from that."
Three former London Knights -- Tavares and forwards Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri -- will be in the lineup for Toronto against Ottawa, giving local fans the opportunity to see some of the same players they cheered for in junior hockey.
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said his players should cherish the small-town experience they'll participate in as part of Kraft Hockeyville Canada.
"It's fantastic for the people [in Lucan] and it's great for our players too," Babcock said. "It's nice to be appreciated. Obviously, we have a huge fan base."