Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs' John Tavares joins exclusive club with 500th goal

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Hunter Crowther | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 12:04 AM ET

John Tavares made history Wednesday night, scoring his 500th career regular-season goal during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tavares now has six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 11 games with the Leafs this season.

Since joining the team ahead of the 2018-19 season, Tavares has recorded 228 goals and 279 assists for 507 points in 526 regular-season games.

Through the first nine seasons of his career, Tavares played for the New York Islanders, the franchise that took him No. 1 overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. During his time with the club, he scored 272 goals and recorded 349 assists for 621 points in 669 regular-season games.

GOAL #500 FOR JOHN TAVARES

(via @SportsCenter)pic.twitter.com/732XJv7RI8

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 30, 2025

Tavares, 35, is just the 49th player in NHL history to reach the 500-goal milestone.

With his goal at 15:45 of the third period, John Tavares has become the 49th player in NHL history to record 500 career NHL goals.

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) October 30, 2025

Now in his 17th season, Tavares has 500 goals and 628 assists for 1,128 points in 1,195 career regular-season games. In 75 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, he’s scored 28 goals and recorded 25 assists for 53 points.

Earlier this season, Tavares became just the fourth player in NHL history to reach 500 total points with two different teams, doing so with the Leafs and Islanders.

His best offensive season came in 2018-19, his first year with the Leafs. In 82 games, Tavares scored 47 goals and 41 assists for 88 points. He’s reached the 80-point mark five times in his career: twice with the Leafs, three times with the Islanders.

Tavares is a two-time Hart Trophy-finalist, both with the Islanders in 2012-13 and 2014-15. He is a six-time All-Star, and at one point was selected to five straight between 2015 and 2019.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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