Toews, Kane on Gretzky calling them undisputed Hall of Famers
ST. LOUIS – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have Stanley Cup rings, postseason awards and countless other accomplishments in their respective NHL careers. But a Hockey Hall of Fame endorsement this week from the greatest hockey player who ever lived made their eyes light up with a mix of elation and humility.
Playing in the Winter Classic alumni game as a (brief) member of the St. Louis Blues, Wayne Gretzky put over Toews and Kane afterwards in a chat with the media.
“Both of them are obviously superstars. Both of them are Hall of Famers. I don’t think there’s any real debate over that,” Gretzky said.
Toews said hearing that from a player he considers to be the template for a modern NHL star left him awestruck.
“He’s the greatest player to ever play the game. We’re all trying to live up to what players like him left for us,” he said, after the Blackhawks’ practice at Busch Stadium on Sunday. “You have a tremendous respect for the [veteran] players, not only in the alumni game but in the tradition that the current players are fulfilling as NHL players.”
Kane actually hadn’t heard about Gretzky’s praise before the Winter Classic practice. “That’s kind of nice,” he said, laughing. “That’s kind of special.”
Gretzky was on his mind recently when Kane passed a new career milestone.
“It’s funny, I scored my 700th point the other night, and I got all these text messages from people saying ‘only 2,100 more points to catch Gretzky,’” said Kane. “That speaks volumes about how great a player he was. So that’s nice of him to say.”
In typical Toews fashion, he tried to stay level about the whole thing.
“You don’t want to let anyone blow to much smoke, hype you up too much – got a lot of work you have to do,” he said. “But you appreciate any compliment from a former player, let alone a great one.”
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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