The Blackhawks Tribute To Jonathan Toews For His 1000th Game Was Perfect

I apologize for this blog being a little bit late. I had a chance to go to this game and I wanted to wait for the 1000th game ceremony at the UC so I could include the video tribute 

I wanted to go to this game because I had missed all the other 1000 games tributes from the core guys. I was more emotional than I thought I'd be watching the ceremony. Of those 1000 regular season games I will say that I've been to 100 of them at the United Center going back to 2007. All the memories of moments with my dad, brother, and friends over a span of time that was the Golden Era of hockey in Chicago. A renaissance. A golden renaissance that combined INCREDIBLE hockey, great super stars, a ton of characters, and one great captain. 

If you're going to have that kind of run and foster in a new era and completely rebuild the brand you need to have right guy as the face of the program and that was Jonathan Toews. A guy who put in the work. A guy who led by example. A guy who had immense talent and still found a way to make himself and his teammates better. Watching all of those teammates, past and present, honor him on the ice and from abroad was incredible. I am not sure how many people could carry the weight of a franchise's hope and the C of his chest at such a young age the way that Toews did. They had many great leaders on that team, and I am sure many could've served as the captain very well, but Toews was the right guy. Hyper competitive, Captain Serious, 200ft player, who fought for every inch on the ice. He was a joy to watch and still is. 

I am annoyed at the discussion around his legacy to be honest. In the NHL at 19 years old and captain before he could legally drink and he delivered beyond anyone's wildest imagination. People trying to blame him for things on and off the ice are ignoring the truth that is staring them in the face. That truth is that Toews is the greatest Captain the organization has ever had. He deserved that silver stick. He deserves to have his name and number hanging above the Blackhawks ice forever, and he deserves to have his likeness crafted out of metal and placed outside the building for the rest of time. He is that great of a player. Worthy of all the accolades. The slings and arrows pointed at him from the internet are unwarranted. 

The only thing I want from Toews at this point is more. More games. More memories. More playoff moments. I want him to finish his career here. Maybe I want him to take less $ to do that, but only because I want more playoffs. More of this