John Tavares rarely got angry during his time with the Oshawa Generals, but Brad Selwood knew this time would be different.



Selwood, then the head coach of the Oshawa Generals, had been part of an OHL-wide agreement to give players returning from the 2008 World Junior Hockey Championships some time off following the event. Tavares, 17, was unaware of the agreement when he called Selwood on his way home from winning the gold medal.



Tavares wanted to play. When Selwood informed Tavares he wouldn’t be playing, the young player quietly accepted the decision. But Selwood still sensed the frustration.



“If he had a deer rifle,” said Selwood, “he probably would’ve shot me.”



After his first two seasons with the Generals, Selwood had come to expect that type of quiet determination from Tavares. At a time when many his age were battling puberty and his teammates were trying to find their footing and win the eyes of...