captain serious

Jonathan Toews

Jonathan Bryan Toews (pronounced as tayves) who was born on the 29^th of April, 1988 in Winnipeg, Canada to Bryan Toews, and Andree Gilbert, is a canadian professional ice hockey centre who plays for and captain of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently the youngest captain in NHL, having appointed in 2008. He is bilingual, speaking fluent French and English. He is also known as Captain Serious/Mr. Serious by his teammates and fans. 

Jonathan is a captain, thus wearing a "C" on his jersey

Jonathan's dad tied on his first pair of skates when he was only three and says he became an instant whiz on ice. He has been skating since he was three years old and he has always had a natural stride. People would always ask his parents, “How old is that kid?”. When he was just a teenager, he was drafted #1 by the Tri-City Americans but chose instead to play high school. In his last high school year, he played at Shattucks-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota (110 goals in 64 games) and ended up spending the next two years at the University of North Dakota where he lead the Fighting Sioux to the frozen four in both 2006 and 2007.

Jonathan when he was in Shattucks-St. Mary's

Jonathan's brother, David, also attended Shattuck-St. Mary's and began his freshman year at the University of North Dakota in 2008-2009. He was drafted by the New York Islanders and his rights were later traded to the Blackhawks for future considerations on September 9, 2011.

Jonathan's brother, David

In the 2006 Entry Draft, Jonathan was drafted third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. He made the leap to the NHL in the fall of 2007 at age 18. Along with Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane, he was part of a new-blood youth movement that moved the 2008 Hawks in the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews

Duncan Keith

Jonathan was named captain a season after he joined the team in 2007-08, becoming the third youngest captain in NHL history at the age of 20. On June 9, 2010, Toews led Chicago to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship since 1961, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth game of the finals. He became the second youngest captain in the history of the NHL to win the cup, behind Sidney Crosby who let the Pittsburgh Penguins to the championship the previous season. He scored seven goals and 29 in the playoffs, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. by winning the Stanley Cup, he also became the youngest player, at 22 years old, to become a member of the Triple Gold Club (Olympic gold, Stanley Cup, World Championship).

Jonathan lifting up the Stanley Cup

In the spring of 2010, a large mural of Jonathan visible from the Eisenhower Express in Chicago received a degree notoriety.  The mural depicted Jonathan with an abnormally shaped nose and mouth, posed beside a picture of the Stanley Cup (appropriately, toews would end up holding the cup after winning it later that year). Many Blackhawks fans were unhappy about this as they thought it looked offensive. He commented on the mural, stating, “I guess it’s from a picture and they must have embellished it a little bit. They’re not helping me by any means.”

Jonathan's mural from the Eisenhower Express in Chicago

Following the celebration of Jonathan bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the province of Manitoba announced that they would be naming a northern lake after Jonathan in honour of his success. The lake is located 150 km north of Flin Flon and is named Toews Lake. The same day, the Dakota Community Centre in St. Vital where Toews first played organized hockey was renamed the Jonathan Toews Community Centre. Also he was given the keys to the city to honour his achievement and hard work ethic.

The Dakota Community Centre being renamed in Jonathan's honour