Meet Barbara Tavares, the Mother of John Tavares: Biography, Net Worth & More

Everything you need to know about Meet Barbara Tavares, the Mother of John Tavares: Biography, Net Worth & More, featuring in-depth facts.

Barbara Tavares is the mother of Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), John Tavares. Her parents originally immigrated into Toronto from Poland. She is married to her husband Joe Tavares and the couple have lived and had all three of their children (John, Laura and Barbara) in Toronto.

John Tavares was born on September 20, 1990 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He is the first of three children of Joe Tavares and Barbara Tavares. His siblings are Laura and Barbara. He is a Canadian with Portuguese and Polish descent.

Tavares’ paternal grandparents Manuel and Dorotea Tavares immigrated from Portugal to Toronto, Ontario whereas his maternal grandparents, Bolesław and Josephine Kowal, immigrated from Poland to Sudbury, Ontario.

As a child, he moved to Oakville, Ontario where he was first exposed to minor hockey through the Minor Oaks Hockey Association. He soon developed passion for the game and has consistently become one of the very best in the National Hockey League (NHL).

During his major junior league, he was a member of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was later traded to the London Knights at the 2009 OHL.

Tavares was the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Rookie of the Year in 2006 and CHL Player of the Year in 2007. Tavares finished his Major Junior and OHL career with most goals (215), and 6th in points (433).

In the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected first overall by the New York Islanders, for whom he played nine seasons and served as captain for five seasons. He was the top ranked prospect for the 2009 Draft by both the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and International Scouting Services.