Oct. 15--At 27, Jonathan Toews has accomplished almost everything a hockey player can -- three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and a Conn Smythe Trophy.
But there was a time before Toews filled up the trophy shelf, like when he spent two years at North Dakota playing for current Flyers coach Dave Hakstol, when he was forming those championship habits. The two reunited Wednesday night in the Hawks' 3-0 loss to the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Hakstol said Toews' success is no surprise. The leadership qualities Toews has embodied as captain of the Hawks were on display at North Dakota, Hakstol said.
"He was just a little bit younger version of what you see today," Hakstol said. "Very composed, very focused, hard working and good teammate."
College was one of the few places Toews has played where he did not win a title. North Dakota made the Frozen Four both years Toews was there but came up short in their bid to win an NCAA title.
Toews said Hakstol was a good motivator -- even if that motivation was a solemn stare to let a player know he did something wrong.
"You can feel it in the back of your head sometimes when you're sitting on the bench," Toews said. "He was fair in a lot of ways. He let you know, like most good coaches, that you're making mistakes. ... He understood how to get the most out of those guys."
Timonen honored: Before the gale, the Flyers held a ceremony for retired defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who spent seven seasons with the Flyers before the team traded him to the Hawks last season. Timonen hoisted his first Stanley Cup with the Hawks last season, and seeing his last two teams gave him a small urge to suit up again.
"The reality is I'm 40 and I just had a glass of red wine," Timonen said. "Can't really turn that down anymore. I need to do something down the road, but now it's time for family, to enjoy life and tell myself to calm down."
Toews said Timonen made a deep impact on the Hawks in a short amount of time.
"We all meant it when we said it was a special moment for the guys who had won a Cup previously," Toews said. "To win it again and win it for a guy like Kimmo adds much more meaning to it. It's pretty cool to do that and for him to go out on top."
