{"id":590883,"date":"2026-04-08T19:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/590883\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T19:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:44:08","slug":"jonathan-toews-says-hes-thankful-for-struggles-after-winnipeg-jets-masterton-trophy-nomination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/590883\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonathan Toews says he\u2019s \u2018thankful for struggles\u2019 after Winnipeg Jets Masterton Trophy nomination"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Hockey League revealed the nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Wednesday, with veteran forward Jonathan Toews<\/a> the selection for the Winnipeg Jets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The trophy is awarded annually to the NHL player \u201cwho best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old Toews is a prime example of the kind of player honoured with the award – a former Conn Smythe Trophy, Frank J. Selke Trophy and Mark Messier<\/a> Leadership Award winner and three-time Stanley Cup champion, Toews returned to the ice for the first time this season after missing over two years to travel the world, seeking help solving health issues brought on by long COVID.<\/p>\n

After the extended time away from hockey, it would have been difficult to predict what kind of player Toews would be this year with the Jets – his first time playing without a Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> jersey on his back.<\/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 Toews said to reporters on Monday. \u201cSomething that I never thought I would have to go through in my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 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

Toews served as captain of the Blackhawks for 15 seasons, and it turned out that despite his limited production on the scoresheet this year – 10 goals and 27 points (both career lows) in 77 games – Toews\u2019 leadership and knowledge have proven invaluable to the team and himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously he\u2019s intense. I think he\u2019s a guy that you can tell is a winner. He wants to win,\u201d head coach Scott Arniel<\/a> said to reporters on Monday. \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 acknowledged there was a psychological aspect to a return to the NHL along with the obvious physical side, saying \u201cit\u2019s been a struggle\u201d trying to find energy and ways to contribute throughout the season. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you really separate the two, at the end of the day,\u201d he relented. \u201cI think we like to put things in categories and boxes, but they\u2019re all part of the same thing,\u201d Toews said. \u201cFor sure, it\u2019s psychological, it\u2019s physical, it\u2019s emotional \u2014 it\u2019s all of the above. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jets are facing long odds to make the playoffs entering play on Wednesday, sitting fourth in line for the final spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. With five games left on the schedule, the Jets (80 points) trail the Nashville Predators<\/a> (84 points), Los Angeles Kings<\/a> (83 points) and San Jose Sharks<\/a> (81 points).<\/p>\n

If this season doesn\u2019t end up with a playoff appearance, Toews is still happy about the season he had and the struggles he worked through to have it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been a lot of challenging, difficult days but it\u2019s all worth it,\u201d said Toews. \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

\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

The winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy will be selected in a poll of all chapters of the Pro Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Hockey League revealed the nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Wednesday, with veteran forward…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":590884,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194296],"tags":[712,49,48,98852,22073,74727],"class_list":{"0":"post-590883","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-winnipeg","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-jonathan-toews-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8473604","12":"tag-winnipeg","13":"tag-winnipeg-jets-sports-hockey-team-team-nhl-api-52"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}