BLOG: Toews Speaks with Reporters During NHL Pause

Due to the frenetic pace of the NHL season, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews didn't have much time to enjoy the new home in Chicago he recently moved into or keep in touch with friends outside of hockey.
With Toews self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic like the rest of us, he is now catching up on those things - and more - and on Tuesday provided a glimpse into his daily routine while on a video conference call along with fellow NHL players Roman Josi of the Predators and the Blues' Alex Pietrangelo.

"I'm just here in Chicago with my girlfriend and a little Yorkie," Toews said to members of the media viewing the call. "That's about it. It's pretty quiet.
"I can't complain, I still find stuff to do," Toews added. "I moved into a new place during the season … (and) during the year you kind of put a lot on the backburner with how busy the schedule is. I'm just catching up, calling some friends - little things that I don't really have time to do when we're in the season."

During the session, Toews and his fellow NHLers fielded questions from a moderator and touched on a variety of subjects. Here are some of them:

On how he is keeping in shape while at home:

"I didn't have that motivation to do much the first 4-5 days. Since then, I'm kind of getting back and riding the bike and thinking 'at some point, this has to wrap up, we have to go back to our normal lives.' We're just not sure when that is, but hopefully it's sooner rather than later."

On his thoughts on the current state of the Blackhawks:

"Regardless of what's going on in your organization, your job as a captain and as a player and for myself and for the other guys that have been in the room for a while is just to focus on getting the most out of ourselves and getting the most out of our group. We went through quite a few serious injuries to key players, guys that have experience in the playoffs and brought that character and leadership in the room as well so that definitely hurt us. On the other hand, we have some young players who are learning and getting better really quickly. We showed a lot of signs this year even if we're not sitting in a playoff right now that we're right on the edge.
"We had St. Louis with a lead in their own building a couple of times but we found ways to blow it. It's just that experience of playing against the top teams and getting back to that level that we know we can to be a playoff contender."

On which teammate with which he'd most like to be quarantined and the least:

"Most? I'd probably say Corey Crawford. He's kind of an easy-going guy. Whatever you want to do, he's down for whatever.
"I'd say the least since I roomed with him for so long, I'd have to say (Patrick Kane). There were some ups and downs through that relationship there."

On what's going on in the group chat between Blackhawks teammates:

"I can't really mention too much what's going on in the group chat but there are some pretty popular memes that you guys have probably seen and those are definitely going around. Guys are trying to entertain themselves."

On what he is watching on TV:

The last few nights I'm getting into the third season of "Ozark." I love it. I think it's great. Other than that, not a whole lot."

On what books and music he's enjoying:

"I guess I have one book but I haven't really gotten into it yet. I kind of chill and kind of (listen to) relaxed house music. I listen to a few podcasts here and there. Mostly, Joe Rogan. He had a couple of guests on that were pretty good as far as talking about everything going on with the coronavirus. It's one thing to see what's going on in other cities and all around the country when you turn the news on and you watch some of these press conferences but it's nice to educate yourself a little bit more on what's going on."

On what message he would send to Blackhawks fans:

"First of all, we love our fans. We miss them. We miss seeing everybody at the United Center. Obviously, this is a crazy time, a tough time for everybody. The biggest thing we can learn probably is, no matter what your background and what your political views are, we're all coming together and that's the biggest thing. You guys all know what it takes to have a winning hockey team: You have to have everybody come together. The biggest message right now is coming together with your family, your friends and your community. Wait this thing out. We have to do what we have to do and we'll get through it."