There were blue ones, white ones, red ones and even a grey one. Some had white trim, some had blue, and some had orange. They had different logos, from different eras, but they were tethered together by three common bonds — they had the same number (91), the same name on the back (Tavares) and the same major marketing problem.



None of the people wearing a John Tavares jersey was actually John Tavares.



The New York Islanders played the Buffalo Sabres in Oshawa on Friday night, in the pre-season finale for both teams. It was a neutral-site game that was announced with a press conference in December, on a day when organizers made clear that Tavares, the former Oshawa Generals star playing in New York, was the centrepiece of an event that would reportedly cost the city more than $145,000 to stage.



Tavares was featured in the initial marketing push. The tickets were priced accordingly, with seats that cost about $25 for junior hockey listed at $110,...