Toews mum on hanging up blades

Jonathan Toews insists that he hasn’t made a final decision on his playing future.

But when you listened closely to the words he spoke on Friday morning and saw the number of lengthy embraces he had with teammates who exchanged souvenir signed hockey sticks along with the usual pleasantries, you got the sense that Toews might have played the final game of his memorable NHL career.

Toews was greeted by a large contingent of friends and family members after the game on Thursday, though that was a frequent occurrence, not to mention one of the benefits of spending this season suiting up for his hometown team.

“I don’t know if they need a specific shoutout at this point. They know who they are, but yeah, it was really great,” said Toews. “Even when I signed here last summer, the reception from friends, family, people I hadn’t talked to or seen in years was really special and something that I didn’t think about or didn’t really expect.

“But to reconnect with some childhood friends and people I hadn’t seen in a long time, where I’m flipping pucks to kids in warmups and all of a sudden I see the dad behind the kid catch the puck, and I look at him and I’m like, ‘I went to high school with that guy.’ It happened once or twice, I’m not going to lie. It was cool to see the pride of people I’ve known for a long time, and that means a lot to me as well, so I appreciate all the support over the season.”

Toews, 37, was one of the last players off the ice on Thursday after the regular-season finale and he admitted to taking some additional time to soak in the scene, whether it was during the pre-game warmup to well after the final buzzer sounded.

What was going through his mind as he skated off the ice?

“That’s a good question — I see what you’re getting at there,” said Toews, who reiterated his gratitude for the opportunity to play for his hometown team. “I’ve been saying it all along, I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying to enjoy it even when it’s not going great, you’re not feeling great. You take the good with the bad, that’s part of being an NHL hockey player. It’s been so special.

“In a moment like that, I’m just trying to soak it in. You never know when your next game is going to be your last. And I’m at that point in my career where it’s a possibility.”

When does Toews expect to have some clarity about next season?

“Probably in the next couple of weeks to a month,” he said. “Obviously I’ve got a lot to think about.”

Toews, who is his own harshest critic, conceded that things didn’t go quite as smoothly as he’d hoped when it came to his on-ice performance.

“It definitely feels like a huge accomplishment. I’m very proud that I went after it and did what I could to get back to this level and to play in the NHL again. That being said, I think there were parts of my game that really struggled early on,” said Toews. “The one thing I really struggled with was the speed and playing fast with energy every night. I think it was a challenging year for everyone in the league with the schedule. So including that, it’s not easy for everyone, especially given the fact that I hadn’t been playing for quite a while. So to answer your question, I’m super happy and proud that I went after the dream of playing in the NHL again.

“But at the same time you have expectations in your mind of what kind of player you can be and how you want to contribute to your team. And obviously I wasn’t anywhere close to that, unfortunately. But it’s disappointing and sometimes you feel like you want to be giving more, helping your team.”

There was a hope when he signed that Toews might fill the second-line centre role, but he finished the season with 11 goals and 29 points while suiting up in all 82 games and finishing second in the NHL in face-off percentage at 62.1 per cent, which left him just behind Claude Giroux at 63.1 per cent.

Playing in 82 games was something he hadn’t done since the 2018-19 season and was just the third time he accomplished the feat in his 16 NHL seasons.

“I remember my parents kind of giving me a hard time for a couple of seasons where I was missing the last game or two of the year, and my mom said something like, ‘you’re going to regret it if you don’t play all 82 — it looks better on your HockeyDB,’” said Toews. “She might have been right about that one, but yeah, it feels good. I think you count yourself lucky, too, if you can get through a season like this without getting any serious injuries. One of the things I’ve always prided myself in as well has been my preparation, so it’s nice to see that pay off in that way, too.”

Toews has always been someone whose value isn’t solely reliant on statistics and one of the main reasons he was brought into the organization was to pass along some of his experience and championship pedigree to a group that was trying to get over the top.

“Getting to add a guy like that, a future Hall of Famer, he’s won pretty much everything there is to win,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “He’s an unbelievable person, he’s an unbelievable leader and he’s a guy that a lot of us looked up to growing up. I make him sound old. But watching him come into the league and playing against him for many years, we were able to learn a lot from him. I think having his leadership in the room is invaluable.”

Not being able to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs might be one of the reasons Toews considers delaying hanging up the blades for one more season.

“Obviously, we fell short of our goal,” said Toews. “At this time last year, thinking about playing hockey and gearing up to try and make a comeback, obviously I was dreaming of playing in front of a whiteout, and I’ve been dreaming about that since I was a kid, and unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.”

Toews is the Jets’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is handed out annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, dedication to the sport of hockey and sportsmanship.

Jets centre Mark Scheifele said having Toews around is a valuable resource and he believes he’s someone that can still contribute moving forward.

“He’s been an absolute treat to be around, a treat to learn from, a treat to have dinner with, to pick his brain on so many things,” said Scheifele. “He was fantastic for us. And coming back from being off for two years playing every single game, 82 games, that’s not an easy thing to do. Not many people do it in a season. That’s pretty incredible.

“To see the work that he’s put in, the diligence that he has every day to be at his best. I’ve loved having around him. I hope he keeps playing.”

If this is the end of the line for Toews, he will finish his career as one of the most decorated hockey players that was born in Manitoba, with a resumé that should eventually land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe