Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews attended his first college football game on Saturday, and he brought the Stanley Cup with him.
Toews and several teammates, including defenseman Duncan Keith, were in South Bend, Ind., with the Cup to watch Notre Dame host Georgia Tech. The Blackhawks are holding training camp at Notre Dame for the third consecutive year.
"It's been a blast," Toews told NBC Sports during the game. "We've been [practicing at Notre Dame] for three years and this is finally our first chance to take in a game so, it's pretty amazing. It's worth all the hype that you hear about all the time."
The Blackhawks open their season Oct. 7 against the New York Rangers at United Center. When asked about how the crowd at Notre Dame Stadium, which was in excess of 80,000, compares to that at United Center, Toews said, "It's up there for sure."
Before the game, the Blackhawks went to midfield with the Cup as their goal song, "Chelsea Dagger," played. Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly also hoisted the Cup.
"I think for a lot of years, we kind of did the same things all the time," said Toews, who wore a Notre Dame hat, "But it's always nice to change the scenery a little bit and come down here and at least get away from town and enjoy events like this."
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