Jan 06, 2009 - 09:16 AM

By Carola Vyhnak

That whooping and hollering you heard east of Toronto last night was a city gone wild over Canada's latest hockey star.

John Tavares "has really given Oshawa something to cheer about," says Errol Roberts, having a pre-game beer in a sports bar. "Everybody loves him."

The 18-year-old phenom, who's in his fourth season with the Oshawa Generals, fills the arena for every game, says Roberts, who does ice-to-stage conversions at General Motors Centre. "He's the heart of the team."

People from all over Ontario come to see him play, says "Big Walt" Tarasewicz, a retired GM worker. "When he makes it big in the NHL, he'll be the superstar that helped put Oshawa on the map."

The gloom-shrouded city could use a little good news. Hit hard by the nose-diving auto industry, Oshawa is struggling with plant closings, layoffs and double the number of people collecting employment insurance.

For Reino Kotilehti, playing shinny at the Legends Centre recreation facility, Tavares is a welcome distraction.

"He's not going to bring jobs but he's entertaining the city and people don't dwell so much on the negative," says Kotilehti, who was just laid off from his job as a press operator. "He gives the city hope in something."

Tavares, an Oakville native, is such a hot commodity the Ontario Hockey League changed its rules so he could be drafted at 14. He's been pegged by NHL Central Scouting as the top pick in this year's draft.

Mayor John Gray, who has season tickets for the Generals, has seen the 6-foot centre's impact both on and off the ice. "We've had him since he was 14. He keeps pulling miracles out of his sweater."

But a possible trade to Windsor or London - rumoured to happen as early as today - could burst the city's celebratory balloon.

"It will be a real shame if he's traded," Gray says.

Carol Leaman knows her husband, who celebrated his birthday yesterday with a steak and the game, will continue to watch the "awesome" athlete wherever he ends up.

"He's going to be one of the top future players," says Leaman, who has become a fan because the family TV is always tuned to the Generals' games. The team also produced greats Bobby Orr and Eric Lindros.

Tavares is bringing a lot of revenue to the GM Centre and the city, observes resident Julie Barton, who plays hockey and is teaching her 4-year-old niece to skate. "People have jumped on the bandwagon who never watched hockey before."

And finding something to cheer about in the process.

 
-- Carola Vyhnak is a reporter with the Toronto Star and Torstar News Services.