John Tavares was born on September 20, 1990 in Mississauga, Ontario. Mr. Tavares showed amazing athletic ability at a very young age and was expected to be an excellent lacrosse player, following in the footsteps of other family members. Mr. Tavares attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School and played youth and junior hockey with local clubs. In 2000, he helped the Mississauga Senators win the Minor Atom Championship. Four years later, at the age of 12, he led the Toronto Marlboros to the Bantam AAA provincial title. John netted 95 goals a single season. He was soon promoted to the Marlboros’ Minor Midget team, netting 91 goals in 72 games. Despite the OHL rule that all participants must be 15 to participate, in 2005, when he was only 14, Mr. Tavares was chosen as the Oshawa Generals number 1 pick in the OHL draft after he was exempt from the rule. In the 2008-2009 NHL season, the New York Islanders chose John Tavares as the number one overall pick. He was among the rookie leaders in goals scored throughout the year, ultimately finishing second to Matt Duchene in an impressive display of skill in the 08/09 season. In the short NHL season of 2013, John Tavares had 28 goals and 19 assists, finishing third overall in goals scored. Not only is Mr. Tavares an excellent player on the ice, he’s also a valuable asset to his team after game time ends, and was awarded the Hart Trophy for pro-hockey’s MVP. He is excited to reach back to his HCDSB community and be a session speaker at Notre Dame’s 2014 Business Leadership Conference.