Winnipeg's Golden Boy

Just in case you have been out of town (or living under a rock) for the past year or so, it’s worth giving you a quick briefing–Jonathan Toews is officially Winnipeg’s biggest hockey sensation.

This accolade, which many say he already had held dating back to his days at the World Junior Hockey Championships, comes after one of the most impressive seasons in all of shinny. Within a six-month period, the Chicago Blackhawks superstar hoisted the Stanley Cup, was named the recipient of the Conn Smythe Memorial Trophy (as the NHL playoffs’ most valuable player), won a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics and was named the tournament’s best player.

This, of course, comes on the heels of an already stellar career, which has included gold medals at the World Under-17, World Junior and World Senior Hockey Championships, being named the captain of the Blackhawks and being considered by many pundits one of the best pure talents in the game today.

The hard work that Toews has put into his career began, as it has for other hockey-crazy kids, at the family home in Winnipeg. Every year for a decade, Jonathan’s father, Bryan, would create a backyard rink for him and his brother.

“We always provided our boys with opportunities, whether it was for hockey or whatever,” Bryan says. “It was a little crazy but they loved it so much. It was their passion–being on the ice–and I was passionate about building the outdoor rink for them.”

Jonathan remembers the frozen Winnipeg nights fondly.

“I would stay out in the cold and never really come inside; I was just having a good time.”

Those hours on the rink soon began to translate into a deep pursuit for Toews. At age nine, Jonathan began playing spring and summer league hockey and shinny camps soon followed.

“I would stay out in the cold and never really come inside, I was just having a good time.”

At no time did the Toews family push Jonathan towards a potential career in the NHL–they saw his drive and enjoyment, and supported him through it.

“By no means was this what he had to do–we just provided him with the tools,” Bryan says. “We had seen how much he loved it. He was quite talented when he was young. He was quite passionate and he had that competitive spirit at a young age, which was quite special and what made him,” Bryan explains. “So we were very committed to giving him the opportunities.”

Just as Jonathan always liked the sport of hockey, he also knew right from the beginning where he wanted to be on the ice. While some NHLers will tell you they started as a forward before falling back to a defensive roll or went from goalie to right wing, Toews spent all of his development playing right in the middle of the action, a place he craved right from the start.

“I was always pretty much a forward and play centerman,” he says. “I never really felt comfortable when I couldn’t be in the play, so I never wanted to be a winger either.”

Though the backyard rink was Jonathan’s initial training ground, it soon became evident that he would have to leave Winnipeg to truly nurture and enhance his talents. In 2003, at just 15 years of age, the call came for Jonathan to pursue hockey outside his home city, as he was drafted first overall by the Western Hockey League’s Try-City Americans.

Toews, however, chose not to go the route that most Canadian boys have utilized on the road to the NHL, and instead headed down to Minnesota to work on his game at Shattuck St. Mary’s, a boarding school in the town of Faribault.

The decision was based on a couple factors, as Jonathan explains. “It was close to home and I had a couple close buddies from high school that were going there. It was so easy to envision myself playing in their rink with the atmosphere,” he says. “Playing for that team was amazing. It was a really good spot for me to get to the next level.”

Of course, playing close to home meant that mom and dad were able to make their way down to the States to take in games. Bryan recalls that throughout Jonathan’s developmental days, first at Shattuck then at the University of North Dakota as a member of the Fighting Sioux, he and his wife would travel to watch their son not only play, but excel in hockey.

The support certainly helped Jonathan as he began to make people take notice of his hockey skills. After helping Canada to the gold medal at the Under-17 tournament, Toews graduated to the World Junior Hockey Championships and made a definitive impact on his crew, winning two golds in the tournament. The time wearing red and white in arguably the most anticipated annual international hockey tournament is one that every player hopes for, and though the spotlight shines brightly as Toews explains, it’s that tension that every member of the squad embraces.

“For any player, if you’re a junior or college player, it’s your first time playing under a lot of pressure, especially for Canadians. In Vancouver for the first time (2006 tournament), you feel pretty comfortable right away and you just know that you belong there and you go out to make a difference.”

Though he now plies his trade stateside as the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, Toews remains closely tied to his roots in Winnipeg. It seems like there isn’t a day in the summer that goes by when the city doesn’t have the opportunity to celebrate its hero, or for fans young and old to have the opportunity to meet Jonathan.

Indeed, the charitable efforts that Toews is involved in are phenomenal. Even while recuperating from an injury, Toews took time to greet fans at the Believe in the Cure charity hockey game and be part of the annual Steen Classic Golf Tournament. He was also recently named founding member and official spokesperson of the Canadian Tire Hockey School.

This outstanding work is of extreme importance to Jonathan, who has recognized the importance of assisting those who have assisted him in the past.

“In the times where you do get a spare moment, it’s good to give back and be part of those events, especially in your hometown, where you can come back, see old friends and family,” he says. “It’s the place where you grew up, and I think it’s important to not forget about that and give time to people that have given you so much.”

Though he did not get the chance to play in the Believe in the Goal game this year due to injury, Toews will have the opportunity to skate on his home rink shortly, when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Tampa Bay Lightning in an exhibition game. For Toews himself, there is a lot of anticipation for the game.

“It’s going to be huge. I haven’t played at home in a long time, so I’m looking forward to it,” he says. “It should be a lot of fun.”

With an entire city behind him, as was witnessed during Stanley Cup celebrations this summer, Jonathan Toews will continue to be known as Winnipeg’s hockey hero.

INFAMOUS WORDS

While Jonathan Toews may be known as being an inspirational leader in the locker room and a great speaker outside the arena, one of the quotes he’s best known for may not have been his best.

 Immediately after winning the 2007 World Junior Hockey Championships, Toews, in an interview while still on the ice, uttered the now infamous line,

“We did a f*****g great job.”

Bearing that in mind, Winnipeg Men staff just had to know–what did Mrs. Toews think of her son’s bold statement? Well, it turns out Jonathan, who admits to being scared of her reaction, found out pretty quickly that she didn’t seem to mind it.

“For once in my life, she thought it was pretty funny and so did a lot of other people.”