Toews: "We're so excited to get back in front of our fans, but also to be together on a daily basis." http://www.csnchicago.com/hockey-chicago-blackhawks/blackhawks-talk/Toews-eager-to-get-back-on-the-ice-forge?blockID=821811&feedID=661&awid=5230872736662338908-914 …#Blackhawks
Toews eager to get back on the ice, forget the lock-out
Comcast SportsNet  | TRACEY MYERS E-mail Tracey | Archive |
Jonathan Toews spent four months talking about the lockout, about up-and-down negotiations and about what he was going to do if there was no NHL hockey this season.
So, was it nice for the Blackhawks captain to talk training camp and the upcoming Blackhawks season on Wednesday instead of the “L” word?
“Sure is,” said Toews, who along with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson, returned to Johnny’s IceHouse West for informal skates.
“It’s just more of a relief,” Toews continued. “There are two sides of it. There’s the excitement just around the fact that we haven’t played hockey in so long, and we’re so excited to get back in front of our fans. But it’s also to be together on a daily basis.”
They’ll soon be together plenty. League training camps are expected to begin on Sunday, and the Blackhawks will get a tough test out of the gate when they face the Stanley Cup-champion Kings in Los Angeles on Jan. 19.
For Toews, the frustration and anger for how long it took to get the season going again is still somewhat there. He said both sides need to learn from this lockout, to “have a mutual understanding, respect and work hard together for the fans and for the good of the game.” But after using the lockout to stay sharp physically and recharge mentally – and not to play in Europe -- Toews is looking forward.
“Some guys feel like they need to keep playing. For me, I felt it was good for my body and mind to rest and get myself in a place that I’ll be in control of what I’m able to do on and off the ice for the next handful of years,” Toews said. “I don’t feel burnt out by any means. I’m excited to play hockey.”
Now the real fun begins: a short training camp followed by a 48-game regular season. As Patrick Sharp said on Tuesday, “it’s whoever can adjust the quickest and get off to a good start.” Toews said it could resemble the midway point of the 2010-11 season, when the Cup-defending Blackhawks were fighting for their playoff lives from winter to spring.
