Jonathan Toews is taking ‘small steps’ toward his old self, but ‘it’s not really in my nature to be patient’ as the Chicago Blackhawks captain tries to break goal drought
The longer it drags on, the more Jonathan Toews will be asked about it.
How do you feel about the scoring drought?
How are you feeling, period?
Toews had gone 24 games without a goal entering Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers at the United Center, far surpassing his previous career-worst drought of 13 games during the 2016-17 season.
Toews missed last season with what he was told is “chronic immune response syndrome,” which saps his energy and has other side effects. But the center still manages 18 minutes a night, taking faceoffs and playing on the power-play and penalty-kill units.
Toews acknowledged before Tuesday’s game that he has to accept that getting back to his sense of normal after missing the 2020-21 season is taking more time than he might’ve expected.
“Definitely not where I want to be, but it’s another thing I just try to be patient with,” Toews said. “It’s not really in my nature to be patient. There’s nights where I’m definitely not happy with the way I’m playing and I always feel there’s more I could be doing, but at the same time I have to keep reminding myself that I’m taking small steps.
“Given what I went through physically, the fact I’m not quite out of the woods yet, also just missing that time, missing an entire season, all of a sudden trying to acclimate to how many games we’re playing and being on the road and all the things that make an NHL season as difficult as it is, just trying to take all that in stride and know that I’m better than I was in training camp. Just got to keep with that progress.”
Toews hasn’t been the only Hawk to go through a goal drought, and coach Derek King has stuck to the belief that it’s nothing to worry about: The goals get here when they get here.
“I keep putting it in his head that the goals will eventually come,” King said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “You haven’t lost that, they’re just not going in right now.
“But he plays both ends of the ice and he’s doing a great job. He’s killing penalties, he’s working the power play, I get him out there for key draws and he’s doing a great job with that.
“There’s more to scoring goals, I guess, but as a guy who’s scored some goals, I’m sure it’s getting to him a little bit.”
Toews isn’t dwelling on some near-misses and bad bounces that could’ve ended his scoring futility.
“You’ve got to work through it, you’ve got to make your own luck,” he said. “There’s times where it’s easy to get down on yourself, feel sorry for yourself if you’re not getting those bounces.”
Toews said if anything, it’s motivation to work on the details of his game.
“That’s the only advantage of going through challenges like that is finding ways to get better,” he said.
Toews sounds like a general manager talking about rebuilding a team when he preaches about the “process” in rebuilding his game.
“Find a way to keep contributing and be patient,” he said. “I like to think I’m getting some more shots on net these last few games. At the end of the day, it’s hard when game after game you’re not getting results personally.
“But just trying to keep focusing on the process. As long as our team keeps winning games.”
