Hawks' Toews on fan reception in return: 'Felt good' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
After missing the last 27 games with an illness, Jonathan Toews made his return to the lineup on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. The Blackhawks lost 6-3 — their eighth consecutive defeat, which matches a season-long — but in the grand scheme of things, it felt comforting to see No. 19 in red back on the United Center ice.
"There’s always a little bit of nerves before a game like that," Toews said. "I feel it didn’t take me long to just relax and have fun and just go out there and make the plays I see in front of me and trust my teammates and trust my linemates. That’s all I could really do.
"I think the first period was rough. That’s a fast team, fast game. No matter what when you miss some time, there’s going to be some catching up. But I think second, third period, I started to feel a little bit more comfortable. Sometimes, when your timing gets better, then you’re not overexerting yourself, as well.
"So yeah, I think overall, definitely feel like I’m in a good place, progressing, since the time off. It’s just working, trying to get better every game for the rest of the year here."
Toews started on the fourth line with Reese Johnson and Austin Wagner but was promoted to the first line midway through the third period with his team trailing 4-2. He made an instant impact, connecting with Andreas Athanasiou to trim the deficit to 4-3.
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"It's a great feeling, obviously," Athanasiou said of Toews' return. "Just when he started coming back to the rink and practicing with us, obviously it's a good feeling seeing him back and getting healthy. Any time your captain can come back and play, it's a good feeling and brings a little bit of energy to everyone in this room."
Toews also had two shot attempts (one on goal) and won eight of 12 faceoffs in exactly 14 minutes of ice time. The Blackhawks weren't trying to give him too much responsibility in his first game back but that didn't matter. His presence on the bench alone was missed.
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"It was good to have him back," head coach Luke Richardson said. "I thought he was a big presence on the bench, very vocal and made a nice play. ... I thought he gave us some energy when we switched lines up a little bit in the third. I would’ve liked to get them out a few more offensive zone face-offs, it just didn’t work out that way, the way the lines were running.
"So, finally in the third I thought it was just time to put him there for good. He did a good job, set up a nice goal."
The biggest ovation of the night came when the public address announcer announced Toews as the primary assister on Athanasiou's goal. It rivaled the one he got when he was announced as a starter.
The 18,778 fans in the building came for that moment, but so did Toews. He was motivated to return sooner than expected to show his appreciation for the fans and give them whatever he has left.
"Yeah, I’m just trying to focus and concentrate on the game, but there’s no doubt you hear that when you step on the ice," Toews said. "It felt good to get that coming back tonight. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a way to win. Either way, it feels good to receive that from the fans and keep playing hard for them."
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