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NAM Y. HUH \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
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Winnipeg Jets centre Jonathan Toews is this year\u2019s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee for the Winnipeg chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers\u2019 Association.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Coupled with his dedication to the game and sportsmanship, it\u2019s easy to see why Toews is the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee for the Winnipeg chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers\u2019 Association.<\/p>\n
The award is handed out annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like you\u2019re consciously thinking about that, but I guess if I do stop to kind of look back at what the last four or five years have been like, it\u2019s definitely been super unpredictable,\u201d said Toews, who is playing his 16th NHL season. \u201cSomething that I never thought I would have to go through in my life. At the same time, I am very thankful for all of the struggles because honestly, it is cliche but it\u2019s where I\u2019ve learned the most about myself. About hockey, about life and all of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The journey wasn\u2019t an easy one.<\/p>\n
Although he never fully considered retirement when he stepped away from the sport to prioritize his health at the end of the 2022-23 season, Toews was never sure he was going to be able to play again either.<\/p>\n
Healing from the lingering effects of long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, Toews had a health breakthrough after undergoing Ayurveda, a traditional form of alternative medicine that involves herbal medicines, yoga, meditation and enemas during a five-week stint in India.<\/p>\n
The amount of work required by Toews \u2014 both physically and mentally \u2014 to return to the NHL was immense and intense, but his passion for the sport he nearly lost was a driving force throughout the healing process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been a lot of challenging, difficult days but it\u2019s all worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven this season, it\u2019s been a struggle. Every day I\u2019m digging deep and trying to find the energy, find a way to contribute in any way and kind of set aside your ego,\u201d said Toews, who has 10 goals and 27 points while appearing in all 77 games this season heading into Thursday\u2019s battle with the St. Louis Blues. \u201cThe challenge has been in my mind. I know what I\u2019m capable of doing and how I can play the game, but just going out there with limited capability and in a limited role, you just try and do the best you can within those parameters I guess.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n After a two-and-a-half year health-related absence that included travelling around the world to seek treatment, Jonathan Toews made a successful return to the NHL this season with his hometown Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m honoured by the recognition and I\u2019m not sure what else to say.\u201d<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one thing that can occasionally make Toews feel uncomfortable, it\u2019s having to talk about himself.<\/p>\n He\u2019s one of the only athletes to even attempt this kind of comeback in professional sports, but Toews hasn\u2019t really enjoyed that part of the spotlight being shined on him \u2014 even if he understands the countless interview requests to delve into the topic.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been a lot of challenging, difficult days but it\u2019s all worth it,\u201d said Toews, who signed a one-year deal with the Jets in the summer. \u201cThe way that the city has received me, the city, the organization but also the players in the locker room. I would do it all over again to be part of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked whether it was more physically or mentally taxing to accomplish his goal of returning to the NHL, Toews got philosophical.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you really separate the two at the end of the day? I think we like to put things in categories and boxes, but they\u2019re all part of the same thing,\u201d he said. \u201cFor sure it\u2019s psychological, it\u2019s physical, it\u2019s emotional, it\u2019s all of the above. So yeah, I was eager to get the opportunity in the NHL again and I told myself I would do anything to go out there and help this team. Sometimes you have a story in your head as far as who you are as a person and as a player.<\/p>\n \u201cI pride myself on my experience and what I accomplished in the game and the way I\u2019ve played over the years. Like I said, sometimes you take a backseat or have a limited role and it\u2019s a new opportunity to learn, to learn how to be a better teammate, a better person. That\u2019s part of it. When there are moments like that, you have to check that ego at the door.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose guys show up every day and they work so hard. They\u2019re always positive, they\u2019re always having fun and they\u2019re keeping it light, even in the tougher moments.\u201d<\/p>\n As a captain of a three-time Stanley Cup champion, integrating into a new locker room and finding your voice within the established leadership group wasn\u2019t easy, but Toews is grateful for how he was welcomed in by the likes of captain Adam Lowry, alternate captains Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele and longtime core pieces like Kyle Connor and Connor Hellebuyck.<\/p>\n \u201cI learned a lot being in a new room,\u201d said Toews. \u201cYou go down the list and everyone brings something to the table. Those guys show up every day and they work so hard. They\u2019re always positive, they\u2019re always having fun and they\u2019re keeping it light, even in the tougher moments. I realized over the years that when things don\u2019t go my way, I definitely was riding the highs and lows more than I should have.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably why I had to go through this. Obviously, these guys, they have good heads on their shoulders, they know how to play the game and the way they carry themselves, it\u2019s been nice to be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Toews perked up when asked about what he\u2019s enjoyed most about being in the NHL this season.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cJust that right there. Being in this locker room,\u201d said Toews. \u201cObviously, the season has been crazy busy, non-stop. You don\u2019t get a whole lot of time to stop to breathe between games. Everything is about recovering any which way that you can. But we\u2019ve enjoyed our time together on the road, in the room. The time around the guys, the meals and the time on the bus and the plane, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n Jets head coach Scott Arniel has used Toews in a variety of roles, starting him out as the second line centre but he\u2019s also spent time on the third and fourth lines.<\/p>\n Toews is one of the league leaders in faceoff percentage, but also endured some tough patches where points were tough to come by and he had issues finding his rhythm.<\/p>\n \u201cMostly just trying to get your energy up for every single game. If you\u2019re in your late 20s or early 30s, you\u2019re in the best shape in your life, it\u2019s going to be hard, no matter what,\u201d said Toews. \u201cIt\u2019s the kind of league where if you don\u2019t do it, someone else will. The competition is always high, as you see again this year, the parity is incredible. The league just keeps getting better and it doesn\u2019t get easier as you get older. The time away was a huge challenge, in trying to find my game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe league just keeps getting better and it doesn\u2019t get easier as you get older. The time away was a huge challenge, in trying to find my game.\u201d<\/p>\n Through it all, he\u2019s been a calming presence for a group that was hoping his experience might help push them over the top.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously he\u2019s intense. I think he\u2019s a guy that you can tell is a winner. He wants to win,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the biggest things. He\u2019s having a lot of fun while he\u2019s doing it. Obviously, being able to be back has been big for him. I think it adds to our leadership group.\u201d<\/p>\n Toews, who turns 38 later this month, hasn\u2019t decided on his future yet, but there\u2019s a chance he could return with the Jets next season.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, a huge fan of Toews. He stung me in 2015, but I got to spend some time with him a couple of years ago,\u201d Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said during a visit to Winnipeg last month. \u201cPersonally, it\u2019s a feel-good story, not only for him but for Winnipeg. He doesn\u2019t want to go anywhere, he wants to play here and that speaks (volumes) for his loyalty. Whatever he\u2019s gone through in his last couple of years to come all the way back the way he has is really impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n The full list of each team\u2019s nominees will be revealed Wednesday morning, with the winner announced during the Stanley Cup playoffs.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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