Rise Up (Jonathan Toews)

45| True Strength

Jonathan

We beat the Red Wings with a epic game seven over time goal by the over time man himself, Brent Seabrook. This team continues to make history and a season for the ages as we live on to take on the defending Stanley cup champions, the LA King's.

Like expected there was a lot of media presence around the team with us being a step closer to the cup and this is expected to be another good series. The Bruins and the Blackhawks have a lot of history so I'm sure people want to hear all about it. I hope we will be telling a happy ending for us, but either way the fans of hockey win.

Today was my least favorite day, media day. In the chances that we win this thing they want a oral history of this season and post season straight from the sources. And being the captain of the team I am at the center of this. So I take a seat down at ice level and the interviewer takes his place across from me. He introduces himself and we talk while the tv crew gets set up. Finally it comes time and we get right down to it.

"Let's start off at the beginning of the season" he starts. "The NHL is no stranger to the lockout. The last one took up a entire season and no one knew if this would too. And many of you guys knew this was coming in some sort of way. How did you take the news that for the time being there was no hockey" he wonders.

"Like a heartbroken teenager" I admit and he laughs. "For the longest time all I had going for me was hockey. Everything outside of that was kinda a mess. So when I lost that I lost myself and it all kinda went down hill. In all... I was a wreck without hockey" I explain.

"Some of the guys went overseas to play and most guys went home to continue to train. But you stayed in Chicago and no one heard much from you the whole time you were here. What were you doing to prepare for this season if there was even going to be one" he asks.

"Not too long after I found out about the lockout was when my girlfriend got in a terrible car accident, so I spent over three months in the hospital with her while hockey was away. I still trained and took care of myself, but for the most part I wasn't focused on hockey. I was focused on helping her learn to live again. From September to right when hockey came back I spent all my time with her" I say.

"Not too long ago it was in the news that they caught the guy who crashed into her and he was put into jail for attempted homicide. But we don't know what all happened and how this has changed you as a person and a player" he admits.

I let out a long sigh as I look down. I think about my most favorite thing in the world and I knew I was going to be okay.

"I didn't know Ariana at the time of the crash. We've been around each other before, she teaches classes at our practice rink and we've seen each other around. But I didn't know her name or who she was that day. I didn't know a lot of things... and that's how everything changed.

I was just out driving, trying to figure out who I was without hockey. I didn't like the answers but I would take a bad feeling like that over the awful feeling I got when I watched that car crash into her. I felt like my whole world shattered as I watched her car flip across the street. I thought she was dead. I thought there was no way whoever in that car was alive. But I wanted to help if I could. I'm not a hero. I think anyone who saw that would help. I was just trying to do what's right and my instincts kicked in.

So I got out of my car and pried her out of hers. It was so jumbled that I had to crawl through the back and pull her out there. When I found her she was dead. They revived her at the hospital before losing her again. Finally they brought her back and she fought with everything in her that was left. She fought like hell to stay with us.

And I fought with her. I stayed in the hospital every second I could for the first few weeks before I would even go home to sleep. But I wanted her to know that just because the guy who hit her left I wasn't going anywhere. I knew not so deep down that she was a great girl. Her parents told me all about her as we waited for her to come back to us and I just knew she was special. From the moment she woke up she was smiling. I was throwing myself a pity party because I didn't have hockey and this girl was paralyzed and she was in a better mood than me.

And while I might have saved her life she saved mine too. She showed me what real strength is. I mean I play in the toughest sport with some of the most physically fit guys in the world. And they have nothing on this girl" I explain.

"How did that experience change your life" he asks.

"It made me a better person. It made me realize strength is only shown when strength is needed. And I wanted so bad to be strong for her but she was the one being strong for me. Only a few times did she admit to being scared or hurting. Never showed it on her face. She showed me how to be everything I wanted to be. And now I am" I admit.

"You've just had your best year personally and now you have a chance to bring the cup back to Chicago. What more do you want to do" he wonders. I sit there and think about it before I smile.

"I just want people to see me more than a good player, but as a good person too. I want people who are free agents to want to come here because we created a culture where we are getting better together. As far as being on the ice there isn't much I haven't done that I want to. But once I leave that ice there's so much more to me and I want people to know that. I want people to know the guy that sat in that hospital by my girlfriends side and wouldn't leave until he knew she would be okay" I say.

"Not a lot of professional athletes, and especially hockey players, like to be vulnerable. They often times keep themselves sheltered and closed off. Why are you wanting to be open? Why now" he wonders.

"Because being sheltered is why I was hurting in the first place. I tried to keep everyone out and no one knew I was suffering. But now that I know that I'm not alone I know that people aren't my enemies. They're my friends" I say.

"Well maybe if you speak out more players will too and these interviews won't be so boring" he jokes and I laugh along.

"Good luck with that. I get shit for it but at least the guys know that I'll be there for them" I say.

"Well I'm happy that you can take one of the biggest moments in your life to speak out. We appreciate that" he admits.

"Any time" I wink.