Captain Serious reaches milestone

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This article was published 10/02/2020 (2082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jonathan Toews reached an impressive career milestone last night in his hometown, but there was no post-game celebration.

The frustration of yet another tough loss for himself and his Chicago Blackhawks was, obviously, more of a focus for the Winnipeg native.

Fifteen seconds into Sunday night’s duel with the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place, Toews assisted Dominik Kubalik’s goal that gave the Blackhawks an early 1-0 advantage. The assist gave Toews 800 career points, making him only the sixth player in Blackhawks history to reach the mark. Teammate Patrick Kane is fourth on the list with 1,004 points. Hall of Famer Stan Mikita is the franchise leader with 1,467 points in 22 seasons with the Blackhawks.

It looked like Toews would also get to enjoy a win on the night as the Blackhawks had a 2-0 lead over the Jets after the opening 20 minutes. But the Winnipeg team didn’t do the Winnipeg boy any favours as they rallied back with five straight goals to grab a 5-2 win.

“That’s a nice stepping stone, nice to get a big number like that here in my hometown of Winnipeg, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get the two points,” Toews said. “We were looking good the first shift of the game. I thought it was going to be one of those nights but I think they bounced back and obviously played their best late in the game.”

The 31-year-old had been stuck on point No. 799 since Jan. 19 as Toews was held off the scoresheet in Chicago’s last four games. It was the second time this month an NHLer with Winnipeg roots experienced a major career accomplishment inside Bell MTS Place. St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen was in town for his 1,000th career game on Feb. 1.

Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton, who replaced long-time bench boss Joel Quenneville back in November, was asked what the latest accomplishment on Toews’ résumé says about his game.

“Yeah, (he’s) a hell of a player. He comes to play every night, and I thought he was, that line was pretty good tonight. So obviously a big accomplishment. He’s got a lot more left, I think,” said an equally frustrated Colliton.

Toews is no stranger to putting points on the board in his 13-year NHL career, but one thing he’s not known for is spending time in the penalty box. However, in last night’s third period, Toews was behind the glass on two occasions and both proved to be costly. The first penalty came 8:48 into the final frame as Toews was called for tripping. An irate Toews was forced to sit and watch the Jets take full advantage of his mistake as Blake Wheeler beat Corey Crawford 15 seconds into the power play to tie the game 2-2.

Then with less than four minutes on the clock and the Jets leading 3-2, Toews clipped Wheeler’s head with his shoulder and was called for interference which ate some valuable time on the clock, hurting Chicago’s chances are scoring a game-tying goal.

“I guess we kind of got into it with the officials in the Boston game, so we can’t keep using that as an excuse,” said Toews, referring to Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins where Chicago had a goal negated on a hand-pass that should’ve never been called.

“There’s a couple of calls you’re always gonna argue, or disagree with. But, all in all, we’ve got to find a way to be better late in the game.”

It seems like forever ago when Chicago dominated the league and was a Stanley Cup contender on a yearly basis. The Hawks are now 25-22-8 which puts them in last place in the Central Division. Chicago is in danger of missing the playoffs for a third straight year. The loss to the Jets kicked off a crucial five-games in eight days road trip across Canada. The Blackhawks will end their travels in Winnipeg next Sunday with another date with the Jets.

In 34 career games against the Jets, Toews has 10 goals and 15 assists. While Toews has played more than his fair share of games in front of his family and friends, he was asked if playing in Winnipeg is still something to circle on the calendar.

“It’s nice to come home every time, especially this time of year,” he said. “These are obviously big games and big points for either team.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31