Hawks icons make surprise visit in Toews' 1,000th game ceremony originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Jonathan Toews joined the 1,000-game club on Thursday in Florida, and became the eighth player in franchise history to play every single one of those games in a Blackhawks sweater.
On Sunday, the Blackhawks honored their longest-tenured captain with a terrific pregame ceremony and all 20 skaters wore No. 19 sweaters during warmups.
The highlight of the night? The surprise appearances from former alternate captains Marián Hossa, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Shaw. The four of them, along with current alternate captains Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, presented Toews with a silver stick.
"I was pretty humbled and pretty touched with the recognition from my teammates: Sharpy and Hoss and Seabs and Shawzy showing up," Toews said following a 3-2 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes. "I owe so much to those guys. I feel embarrassed or even stupid being recognized like that, because we were all in it together. It has been a special ride and I'm just so thankful to be able to have shared it with guys like that."
The list of Chicago favorites didn't stop there. Adam Burish and Corey Crawford were also in attendance, and Crawford received a big ovation because it's really the first time we've seen him since he retired.
Throughout the night, video messages from stars across the NHL also poured in to congratulate Toews on his milestone. Among them: Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, T.J. Oshie and Steven Stamkos, along with former teammates Brandon Hagel and Marc-Andre Fleury in a heart-warming moment.
But what really got Toews' attendance were the video messages from Corey Perry, Chris Pronger and the Sedin twins — Henrik and Daniel. The United Center crowd of 19,869 collectively booed.
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"I started hearing a few boos so I had to look to see who was up there," Toews said smiling. "That was pretty cool, to get some of the captains, some of the great players I played against and with over the years. All that was special. Hard to focus on the game with that going on in your head."
Nobody on the current roster besides Kane was around during Chicago's Stanley Cup runs, but they didn't need to know what Toews means to this city and organization. The ovation he received all night told the story.
"It's awesome," said Kevin Lankinen, who made 32 saves in the loss. "Obviously you got goosebumps. You feel the history, feel the memories those guys have been. You hear all the stories and see those videos and obviously what it means for Jonathan too to celebrate that with his family, with his friends, his teammates, it's huge.
"Even for me seeing all those guys that have been through a lot and come back here and celebrate Tazer, makes you feel proud to wear that jersey, proud to be part of something big like the Chicago Blackhawks. And just seeing all the guys, even Crow and Seabs and everybody here after the game, kind of brings a smile on your face. It's a privilege to be a part of this."
It was a memorable night for Chicago and Toews, who got to celebrate with his family that included his parents and brother David. The only thing the night missed was a win.
"Obviously very grateful," Toews said. "But at the same time was pretty wound up trying to make things happen out there, and it just didn't happen for us tonight."
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