Toews closes in on 1,000th game facing uncertain future with Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews has dealt with trying times the past two seasons.

The Chicago Blackhawks captain did not play in the 2020-21 season because of chronic immune response syndrome. He missed 11 games this season in concussion protocol. The road to 1,000 games, which he's scheduled to reach when the Blackhawks play against the Florida Panthers on Thursday, has not been easy. But the forward said he believes his best is still ahead of him.
"I'm extremely thankful to hit that mark," Toews said. "I definitely owe a lot to all the teammates I've had over the years. It'll be exciting. I'm not the kind of guy who likes the whole show during the season, I like to stay with what works and keep it simple. But it'll be nice to have some friends and family in town and really enjoy that and kind of show everyone that's been around me my appreciation for their support to help me get there."
"My focus is to continue to get back to where I know I can take my game, physically, mentally getting to a place where I'm enjoying the hard work and the sacrifice it takes to get there. That's all I can really worry about," he said.
Toews, who has scored 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 54 games this season, will play in his 998th NHL game when the Blackhawks play the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, TVAS, SN, SN1, NHL LIVE).
And though he will hit the milestone this season, he said he's not sure what will come next.
"Beyond that, there's a lot of things at play that I don't control and ultimately, I want to play good hockey," Toews said. "I want to go out there and show what I'm able to do once again. It's been a while since I've felt that way."
Toews was selected No. 3 by the Blackhawks in the 2006 NHL Draft, going to a team that had made the playoffs once in the previous eight seasons and hadn't won a Stanley Cup since the 1960-61 season.
He scored a goal in his NHL debut on Oct. 10, 2007 and has scored 841 points (353 goals, 488 assists) in 996 games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he scored 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 22 games and he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the League's best defensive forward in 2012-13.
In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players as part of the League's Centennial celebration, along Chicago teammates defenseman Duncan Keith, who now plays for the Edmonton Oilers, and forward Patrick Kane.
"He's come full circle, there's no doubt about it," Blackhawks broadcaster Eddie Olczyk said. "He's seen a lot of turnover and change and seen it grow into one of the greatest renaissances in professional sports. To be able to win and do it at such a high level and be the captain and be such an important part of it, he's led by example."

Toews became the third-youngest captain in NHL history when on July 18, 2008 he was given the role with the Blackhawks at 20 years, 79 days. Arizona Coyotes forward Andrew Ladd, who played with Toews in Chicago from 2007-10 and 2015-16 and won the Cup with him there in 2010, said Toews has handled everything well throughout his career.
"I just remember him coming in when they decided they were going to make him the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks and I think a lot of us at that time were like, 'Is he ready?'" Ladd said.
"That's a lot to put on a kid at that age and the pressure at that time was like, hey, him and 'Kaner' were going to resurrect a franchise. Coming to fruition in some sense, but at that time, they were still kids and he was a kid and that's a lot of pressure to have on his shoulders. To see how he has handled that for 1,000 games to go along with all the accolades, that's impressive and that's what's going to make him a Hall of Famer."
Toews has gone from being the teen-ager pegged to help resurrect a team to a player wondering what's next. The Blackhawks (24-32-9), who are seventh in the eight-team Central Division and have missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons, have committed to rebuilding. He was said he was frustrated when the Blackhawks traded forward Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 18, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild and forward Ryan Carpenter to the Calgary Flames before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 21.
Toews has one season remaining on the eight-year contract he signed on July 9, 2014.
"It's become pretty clear the direction we're heading in as a franchise, and I'm not going to lie: It was disheartening to see a couple of good friends go, regardless of what's to come in the future," Toews said.
"I think this group has been through quite a bit this year on and off the ice. Obviously, life's been weird, it's been hard for a lot of people. There have been a lot of challenges that these guys have grown through as a group and when you kind of cultivate that chemistry and that friendship and that connection with your teammates, I think you want to keep building off it. So, it's definitely a little disheartening to see some key parts to our lineup and our group get traded away."
Forward Alex DeBrincat said Toews is the first to make new Blackhawks feel like part of the team immediately.
"He's a great player and does a lot of things on the ice that really help the team, but off the ice he's a guy who really has control of the locker room," DeBrincat said. "New guys come in and he makes them feel comfortable right away. He's a guy who will take them out to dinner right when they get there and make them feel comfortable and I think that goes a long way when you're coming to a new team and obviously a whole new situation.
"You're nervous about being in the NHL and having a guy like him who's done it all to be able to grab you and make you feel comfortable, that's a huge part of his leadership. Obviously, it doesn't stop there, but I think that's a big thing that he does."
The fire to win is still there for Toews. As he nears his latest milestone, so is the desire to get his individual game back to the highest level.
"For him, he's always going to want to be on the power play, he's always going to want to be the first guy over the boards, he's always going to want to be taking a face-off. Those are things that you deal with as you get a little bit older and try to continue to find your way, even for as great of a player he's been," Olczyk said. "Last time I checked, mother and father time are undefeated. As you get older you have to understand how far you can go and what you can and can't do. Guys who can play for a long, long time are able to figure that out and are able to execute it."