JONATHAN TOEWS: The Bio

Jonathan Toews, born April 29,1988 in the St. Boniface-Winnipeg area to Bryan Toews and Andree Gilbert, seemed destined for the NHL at a very young age. His dad tied on his first pair of skates when he was only three and says he became an instant whiz on ice.

In a recent interview Bryan was quoted as saying: “Jonathan could see things you’d show him and then go right out there and do them much better than I’d describe them. I remember I had him on the lake when he was four. He had such a natural stride. I remember several parents coming up to me and asking, ‘How old is that kid?'”

To which Jonathan added: “It wasn’t that natural for me. I never was one of the biggest kids, but I kind of found myself thinking of ways in my mind to beat them,” he said. “I’d use my skating, my stickhandling, my wits to visualize ways to win.”

http://youtu.be/SXqrUTz9FLc

And win he did. When he was still a pup, the elder Toews built a backyard rink for Jonathan and his kid brother David so they could skate till they dropped. What others called hard work was fun for the Toews family. Dad skated right along with the boys as their skills grew and their talent developed.

Jonathan Toews @ UND Courtesy: weplay.com

The payoff came quickly. In his Bantam year Jonathan was drafted #1 by the Tri-City Americans but chose instead to play high school. In his last high school year he played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, MN (110 points in 64 games) and ended up spending the next two years at the University of North Dakota where he amassed 85 points in 76 games, had a plus-38 rating and led the Fighting Sioux to the Frozen Four in both 2006 and 2007.

Drafted third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2006 Entry Draft, he made the leap to the NHL in the fall of 2007 at age 18. Along with Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane, Toews was part of a new-blood youth movement that moved the 2008 Hawks into the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

In December of his second year (2008-2009) he was made an assistant captain and on July 18, 2009 was named captain at the ripe old age of 20, becoming the third youngest player to do so behind Vinnie Lecavalier and Sid Crosby. His nifty scoring touch and his heads-on style of play have made him a fan favorite. He was rewarded in December 2009 with a six-year contract extension worth about $6.5 million a year.

Toews competes internationally for Team Canada and has won gold medals at the 2005 World U-17 Hockey Challenge (leading scorer 8-4-12), 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships, and at the 2007 Men’s World Championships. In the semi-final against the USA, he scored once in regular time and three times in the shootout to advance his team to the finals.

The year 2010 has been equally as kind to this powerful young player. In February he competed for Canada against the World in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, leading his team with eight points. His seven assists led the tournament while he tallied his only goal to open the scoring in the crucial Gold Medal game against the USA. At the end of the two weeks, sporting a shiny new Gold Medal, Jonathan was named Best Forward. Back in Vancouver in May for the NHL Western Conference semi-finals, in the pivotal fourth game, with three goals and two assists, he tied Stan Mikita’s longstanding Blackhawks record for most points (5) in a single game.

On his personal page on weplay.com, Toews sums up his advice to younger players in his typically mature way:
I don’t have a special quote, but more a philosophy or a belief: “You become what you think about and focus on the most. See yourself attracting the things you want to accomplish. Thoughts and desires in your mind can become a reality.”

** originally written by Kevin Hunter in May 2010

18 thoughts on “JONATHAN TOEWS: The Bio”

  1. Toews is the [edited]. Would love to see all the Hawks games but since i live in California i cant :( Sooooo i do what i can :) Bring me some Hawks love to Cali plz.

  2. Congrats to winning the Stanley cup!!! Chicago Blackhawks is one of my favorite teams in the NHL. I was so happy when Kane scored that OT goal. My mom was like where is the puck and I was like its in the net! You are an awesome Hockey player. One of my favorites. Anyway… Congrats again. All thhe best in the future!

  3. HAWKS = WARRIORS

    To all Hawks Players,
    2-0

    Once again you have made the spirits proud!
    Each and every player on the Team tonight played like true warriors!
    It was such a pleasure to watch each and every shift.
    Every time you had the chance to hit you hit.
    You all checked and were led by each other.
    You all played with confidence and poise..
    From Niemi to the 4th line you were totally awesome.
    2 more games my warriors, 2 more games then we go to our final fight, and celebrate with a drink after our battle.
    keep the pace going and no one can beat you.
    Excellent job Coach!

    Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, war cry!

    Chief

  4. Habs down 0-2

    They stayed to the outside again tonight, now down 0-2.
    They looked small again!
    Sorry Habs fans, you will win the next one, but that is probably it.
    Hopefully over the summer you will add some size.

    Chief

  5. To all Habs fans,

    Theres the saying “you either love the Habs or hate them”, I don’t think that is true, I believe you either love the Habs or hate the fans. My god, it is only a game which most fans cannot control the outcome of a game. Habs fans cannot handle a loss, they get sucky, blame the refs, blame the players, etc… When they win they are rubbing it in everyones face like they are the best, which is fine, but, if you cannot handle a loss and act like a man without sucken, then don’t boast on a win. At the beginning of the year every Hab fan was saying how small their Team was, how Hal Gill was not very good, Bob Gainy did not know what he was doing, and so on, now they are winning they are bragging again, gee, I would like to meet a Hab fan that knows hockey, or even has played the game… Good luck Habs fans, but don’t cry after a loss.

    Chief

  6. Habs,

    Yes, hopefully the Habs come out with a little more determination and grit tomorrow night, it was a boring game to watch last night in the 6-0 romp.
    Just to look around on the face offs the Habs look like Juniors compared to men. We will see!

    Chief

  7. I watched the Habs vs Flyers game and I was surprised to see the Habs play as they did. They seemed to be actually intimidated at times from going in to the corners and to play along the boards. They have not been banged around yet in the first two series, so if the Flyers keep on hitting as they did tonight the Habs will not win this series. I had to laugh when the Flyers sang the Habs song in the third period. Sorry Habs fans, but wish you good luck!

    • Most folks I know where not at all surprised at the outcome. They played like that in the first Pens game as well. It’s normal to be flat after a very emotional series. From what I know about the guys on the Habs, they do not get intimidated. Watch for a strong game tomorrow night.

  8. To Jonathan Toews:

    You have done wonders as a captain of one of the greatest Teams in history. You should be proud of yourself. Your job is not done yet. You must lead your Team to victory, rewrite the history books. If you are up or you are down you must not stop leading. You have the players around you that will follow you to victory. Go to fight with the logo on your chest, the native warriors will be there in spirit and mind. Go Jonathan go. Make us proud warriors.
    We do not know how to get hold of Jonathan so please pass this on to him.

    Thanks, Chief

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