John Tavares' return to Long Island for the first time since leaving the Islanders and signing with the Leafs went how many expected it to go. Islanders fans showed up with signs, toy snakes, and chanted/booed their former captain every chance they got.
Now, we're not saying what the Islanders fans did was right, but they had every right to let Tavares know how they felt about leaving and they didn't shy away from doing just that.
Loyalty is the biggest staple of fandom and you can't blame some fans for thinking about it in that way. You can, however, rip them for it which is exactly what former NHLer Sean Avery did on his Instagram story.
WARNING: Video NSFW due to explicit language
We imagine most players feel this way about the idea of fans booing someone who gave it everything he or she had for a team and earned the right to do what was best for him or her and their family.
Heck, Tavares' former teammates had nothing but nice things to say about him leading up to the game and they even showed their appreciation for him after the tribute video was played.
The different viewpoints and the values of fandom make this debate about players leaving fascinating. Based on the reaction last night, we don't imagine Isles fans will change their opinion anytime soon.
(H/T: Sean Avery)
