Chicago-Why does something familiar look so new? Try to stay away for a year or more.
That’s for one of the most famous players in the last generation of Blackhawks hockey, as Jonathan Tows returned to the Fifth Third Arena for the start of a training camp last week.
“It’s a brand new group in so many ways,” said the captain on Thursday when he did his first practice with the ht team since he spent the 2021 season ill. “It’s a fresh start for others, but especially for me.”
This is certainly a welcome start for Toews, who was declared ill in late 2020 and revealed that he was suffering from a chronic immune response syndrome this summer. He has seen the first season away from the Blackhawks from a distance since joining the team full-time in the 2007-2008 campaign.
Technically, there will be 14 seasons of Toews on ice at the NHL and 15 seasons at the franchise. This includes a time when the team won three Stanley Cups and played ten playoffs. However, despite this wealth of experience and knowledge, Toews takes a very simple approach to this training camp, in contrast to others in his career.
When asked if he believed he was ready for the team’s opening round against an avalanche on the streets on October 13, Toews focused more on future training.
“As I said this summer, I’m only taking one day at a time, and that’s all I can really handle right now,” Toews said. “We got a little into the whole of’goals and expectations’, so we had to think a little about it. That’s my goal (playing at the opening night), but I think I just have to keep up. There are things you can learn about how I approach the game when you’re not firing on all cylinders, and when you’re in a conditioning that isn’t there yet.
“So I just scrape it, watch the video and go back to thinking about the game. That’s my plan. I want to do it, but now I’ll focus on tomorrow.”
Since the Edmonton Bubble Postseason in August 2020, Toews have to go home as training continues and his body gets used to full hockey activity for the first time. At the center, the philosophy of “everyday” is repeated. As the opening night approaches, it becomes an important mantra.
“It just exists and you’re waking up in the morning to see what your body can do and what you’re ready to do,” Toews said. “It’s hard not to get frustrated again when you hit an unexpected wall. The big thing I’ve learned to deal with is always having that expected result and those expectations in your mind. I think you have, and when you don’t fully meet them, it’s a bit difficult.
“It exists a bit and only takes it a day at a time.”
It’s a journey that will take weeks to prepare for Toews’ pre-season and 82 regular-season matches starting in mid-October. This is not only a change in preparation, but also a change in the perspective of appreciation for the everyday part of playing at the NHL, which may have been redundant in the four All-Stars.
“At this point, I don’t take it for granted. I’m definitely very grateful to be out on the ice, around everyone, and in the great part of our game. “Toews said. “I think I got in touch again.”
After all, for the Blackhawks captain, the old is new again.
Jonathan Tows keeps it simple when he returns to the Blackhawks
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