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NAM Y. HUH\/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
The Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Jonathan Toews is embracing his mentorship role with the club\u2019s young forwards.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have loved to contribute more and played better up until this point of the year. I\u2019m still trying to work on my game and grow my game. But it\u2019s been a lot of fun being part of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n
To be clear, the Jets never broached the subject of a trade with Toews, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we negotiated that contract, we negotiated a full no-move,\u201d said general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. \u201cThat\u2019s me saying to him, \u2018I\u2019m not coming to you unless you\u2019re coming to me.\u2019 And so that\u2019s a situation where I totally respect the player and the individual there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toews admittedly faced a difficult decision in moving on from the only NHL franchise he\u2019d known, the Chicago Blackhawks, but clearly found comfort in his own backyard. However, the idea of getting to know a third hockey home \u2014 and, by virtue of a trade, something he\u2019d never experienced before \u2014 just wasn\u2019t on the menu.<\/p>\n
And so this homecoming continues, at least for the remaining 18 regular-season games on the schedule.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Toews made his regular-season debut with the Jets back in October, and he’s staying put. <\/p>\n \u201cI think when he signed on this summer, and coming home for him, he was all-in. Whether it was good or bad. Whether the scenario, how it worked itself out, he committed to play for the Winnipeg Jets,\u201d Jets head coach Scott Arniel said prior to Thursday\u2019s game against the New York Rangers.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I applaud him for that. For him wanting to stick it out here and help us try to get in the playoffs. It\u2019s not done. This time of year, this is the time we really need him to help us in those situations. I wouldn\u2019t think he\u2019d have done anything else. He\u2019s committed himself and he wants to fulfill it.\u201d<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t surprise his long-time coach in Chicago, Joel Quenneville, who was in town earlier this week as his Anaheim Ducks downed Toews\u2019 Jets 4-1 to end their six-game point streak.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy for the guy. I talked to him a few times over the course of the year. He\u2019s such a competitive guy. I know where the team is at and I know where Johnny\u2019s mind is at right now \u2014 it\u2019s probably in the place where he\u2019s going to leave it all out there to find a way to get in (to the playoffs),\u201d said Quenneville.<\/p>\n \u201cGame in and game out, you know you\u2019re going to get everything (Toews has).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s finding his way. He had a real good stretch there (coming out of the Christmas break). Game in and game out, you know you\u2019re going to get everything (Toews has). It\u2019s not easy coming back from a layoff like he\u2019s had. But he\u2019s doing what he can.\u201d<\/p>\n And as the regular season winds down, Toews is trying to contribute in ways that go beyond the scoreboard. For example, he\u2019s taken on a bit of a mentorship role with young forwards such as Brad Lambert, who spoke glowingly the other day about watching Toews when he grew up, and 22-year-old trade addition Isak Rosen, who is now skating on a line with Toews.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun to have someone with that energy and that youth. They\u2019re excited, they don\u2019t take any game, any moment for granted,\u201d said Toews.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, it\u2019s fun to feel that energy. You\u2019ve got to find it in yourself, too. Especially with how young these skilled guys are now, like Rosey, I\u2019ve got a lot to learn from them as well.\u201d<\/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 Toews might want to brush up on his Swedish, since the other member of that line is Rosen\u2019s countryman, Gustav Nyquist.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should be better by now. I know a couple swear words from back in the day,\u201d Toews said, laughing.<\/p>\n Arniel has seen the impact of having Toews around in many different ways.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s conversations at dinner or whether it\u2019s on the ice or in the dressing room, that\u2019s what Jonathan does real well. And he\u2019s not afraid to share with others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great when he\u2019s grabbing some of these young guys and maybe talking about some of the experiences he\u2019s been through or how they can handle certain situations. And that\u2019s what you hope your veteran leaders do. That\u2019s the knowledge they can pass on.\u201d<\/p>\n Which brings us to one final set of questions: What happens when the buzzer sounds on this current NHL campaign? Is Toews ready to retire? Does he feel like he has another season left in him? If so, will that happen here in Winnipeg?<\/p>\n Toews asked for a timeout.<\/p>\n \u201cSee where I am at after the season. Trying to stay in the present right now,\u201d he said, noting that was always his plan when the comeback began.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry I don\u2019t have anything better for you right now. It is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n After everything it took just to get back in the NHL, the next chapter can wait.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike 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
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJOHN WOODS \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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