Oh Captain, My Captain: Happy 34th Birthday- 14 Seasons With Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews scores goals and threads assists with the best of them, but his game is so much more. Whether it's a late-game faceoff, a crucial penalty kill, needing a strong backcheck or a relentless work ethic from start to finish, there's no one better to turn to than No. 19. His last name might as well be Tenacious.
Toews has what it takes to score 40 goals, but did not exceed 35 through 14 full seasons. During that period, he has a rating of plus-178 and 852 points in 1,013 games. He is especially clutch in the playoffs with 11 career game-winning goals tied with Patrick Kane for most in franchise history. Of Toews' 357 goals, 67 are game winners, third most in Hawks history.
Toews was selected 3rd overall by Chicago in 2006 and wasted no time making an impact scoring on his first shot in his first game October 10, 2007 against the Sharks. He then recorded the second longest point streak to start an NHL career, registering a point in each of his first 10 games (five goals and five assists).
The Hawks thought enough of his rookie year performance (54 points in 64 games) along with his presence, the example he set on the ice and in the locker room to make him captain in July of 2008 at just 20 years and 79 days old, the fifth youngest captain ever.
Toews finished the 2008�09 season with 69 points in 82 games, helping the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance since 2002. They advanced to the Western Conference finals where they fell to Detroit in five games, but it was the start of something special.
From 2010-15, Chicago enjoyed one of the best runs by any professional sports team in the salary cap era with three Stanley Cups. The Captain was at the forefront for all of those starting with 2010 when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, the second youngest ever, leading the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. He also earned a gold medal with Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic games.
Toews wasn't afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice to make plays. Where Kane is the flash, Jonny is the constant. He always gives 110 percent on each end of the ice. The accolades are too numerous to mention for arguably the greatest captain in Hawks history and even though his career is winding down, there's no one else you'd want leading this squad.
| POLL | ||
Favorite Toews Moment? | ||
| 2 goals in 72 secs to force OT @ ANA | 82 | 49.7 % |
| Game-tying goal @VAN (Game 7) | 43 | 26.1 % |
| OT winner against Blues (Game 5) | 40 | 24.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
