3 Reasons John Tavares Helping Gavin McKenna Matters

There are some hockey stories that look like nice little human-interest pieces until you think about them for a few minutes. John Tavares taking Gavin McKenna into his home is one of those stories.

On the surface, it’s pretty simple. McKenna hasn't played a regular-season game for the Maple Leafs yet, but he's been living with Tavares and his family and is expected to stay with them during his rookie season. Tavares says his kids love having him around and that McKenna has fit into the family almost seamlessly. Good for everybody. But there’s far more going on here.

Three Reasons the Tavares Family's Gesture Matters.

But this matters for three reasons beyond giving an 18-year-old a comfortable place to live.

Reason 1. Tavares knows what McKenna is walking into.

Tavares was the first overall pick in 2009. He knows what it feels like to have an entire hockey world watching every move you make. He also knows what it feels like to be a teenager trying to become an NHL player while everybody else is busy deciding what kind of NHL player you're going to be. That's valuable knowledge.

McKenna is coming to Toronto from Whitehorse. The hockey attention here isn't exactly subtle. Every shift will be discussed. Every goal will be celebrated. Every bad game will become a question. Having somebody in the house who's already lived through that experience is a terrific head start.

Reason 2. Tavares knows Toronto, and that gives him a story to share with McKenna.

This part shouldn't be overlooked. Tavares grew up in the Toronto area and came into the NHL already understanding what hockey means here. McKenna didn't. Toronto isn't just another NHL city for a young player. It's a place where hockey can follow you into the grocery store, the restaurant and probably the dentist's office.

McKenna doesn't need another person telling him how lucky he is to be a Maple Leaf. He needs somebody who can tell him how to handle being one. There's a difference.

Reason 3. Tavares is already doing this, and then there's Easton Cowan.

Tavares has already taken an interest in Cowan's development and has helped him understand some of the less glamorous parts of becoming a professional hockey player. That's the part of this story I find most interesting.

The best mentorship isn't necessarily about teaching a young player how to shoot a puck or make a pass. NHL coaches and development people can work on those things. It's about teaching a young player how to live the life.

How to prepare. How to handle disappointment. How to respond when things aren't going well. How to listen. How to take care of yourself. How to understand that being a professional isn't simply showing up for practice.

Tavares Benefited from His Own Experience as a Young Player.

Tavares learned some of that himself when he lived with Doug Weight's family as a rookie. Now he's passing some of it along. That's how hockey culture is supposed to work. One generation helps the next one.

And maybe that's the nicest part of the whole Gavin McKenna story. The Maple Leafs aren't simply handing their new No. 1 pick a jersey and telling him to figure out Toronto. They're giving him something much more useful.

They're giving him somebody who already knows the way.