Tavares’ dad went wild when Leafs’ captain hit 1,000th career point

While the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t pull out the victory Monday night on Long Island, there were still at least a few visiting fans who went home happy.

And probably no one was happier than Joe Tavares, father of Toronto captain John.

Entering the night, Tavares had 998 career points: 621 with the New York Islanders, and 377 with Toronto.

Facing off against his former team with a milestone on the line, Tavares entered the waning moments of the third period with his team down 3-2, having already registered a goal on the evening.

Looking to force overtime with the goalie pulled, Tavares fired off a pass to Toronto defenceman Morgan Rielly, who found the back of the net with just under seven seconds left to go in the third period.

Sportsnet’s cameras caught the elder Tavares’ reaction to his son’s big milestone, with the entire Leafs team filtering out onto the ice to celebrate the moment.

While Toronto ultimately fell in overtime, the mood was still pretty upbeat postgame.

“We are just so happy for John. Incredible accomplishment. He is [a] contributor on two massive goals that help us get a point tonight,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said postgame. “To get the 1,000th in that manner — such an important goal — in this building here, which I know means a lot to him here, with his dad in the building as well.”

Tavares added it was really special to have his dad in the building since he was often busy at work as a welder during his youth career.

“Having him here was tremendous, especially [because] he wasn’t there for a lot of my minor hockey days,” the Leafs’ captain said.

Keefe added that he couldn’t “put it into words” what it was like for Tavares’ father to witness the moment.

“It is hard to fathom just having a son play in the NHL let alone be the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and get 1,000 points,” he added. “He is still going to play in the league for a long time. It is pretty special and pretty remarkable.”

Toronto’s dads trip continues tonight at Madison Square Garden when they take on the New York Rangers at 7 pm ET.