Hawk Shots: Why Jonathan Toews Deserves the Chicago Blackhawks' Captaincy

I know we are a long way away from the beginning of NHL hockey—but with the draft and beginning of free agency in the rearview window, Blackhawks fans have a reason to be excited for the upcoming season.

In the midst of all this excitement, I have decided to begin a series called Hawk Shots, in which I will analyze the current Blackhawks roster as well as provide team notes and transaction reports. In this edition of Hawk Shots, I will delve into the Chicago Blackhawks' young star and future captain, Jonathan Toews.

With the Blackhawks on the rise, the city of Chicago has opened its eyes and has begun to return to the United Center. I was talking to a friend of mine recently—who is, at best, a "fair-weather" Blackhawks fan. He told me that he felt Patrick Kane was the Blackhawks best player, and how he really deserves to be the Blackhawks captian.

As one of the biggest Jonathan Toews fans I know, I told him that Toews will be the captain because he brings so many intangibles to the ice, and when he is not in the lineup, the Hawks are a completely different—and less effective team.

We then moved on from that topic and started talking about the Cubs, and how they need to get their act together on the road—but that is another story.

This conversation got me thinking about why Jonathan Toews deserves to be captain, and brought me back to January, when Toews went down with injury. 

Before Toews was injured, the Hawks were poised to make a real run at the playoffs—but when he missed those 16 games from January 3 to February 7, the Blackhawks went 5-9-2.

In those 16 games, the Blackhawks looked lost, they struggled to score (only scoring more than three goals in one game), and the defense looked terrible. Although the Hawks had a guy like Martin Lapointe in the locker room, the young Hawks at times seemed to have a difficult time relate with the older Lapointe. 

Chicago needs a younger guy to lead this young team. The Blackhawks have a few guys that could fit that role of captain—but Toews is the best fit. He is a gritty two-way player who hates losing. Those are qualities that you want a true captain to have.

(Not that Brent Seabrook likes losing, but Jonathan is the type of player who says, "Get on my back, I will carry us to the promised land.")

Although the Blackhawks may have better scorers or harder hitters, there is no one that can lead this team like Jonathan Toews.

Hope you enjoyed my first edition for Hawk Shots. I look forward to many more!