How a 19 Year Old Saved a Dying Franchise...

In February 2004, a grim milestone was reached when ESPN named the Chicago Blackhawks the worst franchise in professional sports. The once-proud team had become a symbol of apathy and frustration for Chicagoans throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, some of it had to do with the teams stanley cup drought which was nearing 45 years. but much of it was due to the controversial policies of owner Bill Wirtz, known disparagingly as "Dollar Bill." His decision to block local broadcasts of home games—claiming it was unfair to season ticket holders—alienated the fanbase. Coupled with steep ticket prices for a team who on their absolute best night might have been a solid product in the American hockey league the ticket prices were among the highest in the NHL at the time, it seemed Wirtz was driving a wedge between the team and its city.
Things were so embarrassing As the Blackhawks stumbled, they even had the nearby Chicago Wolves, an AHL team based in Rosemont, Illinois, mocking them with their biting marketing slogan: "We Play Hockey the Old-Fashioned Way: We Actually Win." It was a painful jab at a team that once commanded respect but had now become a shadow of its former self.
In the wake of the 2004–05 NHL lockout, a glimmer of change appeared. New general manager Dale Tallon took the reins, determined to rebuild and restore the franchise to its former glory. The summer of 2005 brought hope, as Tallon made bold moves, signing Nikolai Khabibulin who was fresh off a stanley cup win and All-Star defenseman Adrian Aucoin. Yet, the optimism was short-lived. Injuries ravaged both key acquisitions, and the Blackhawks endured another dismal season, finishing with a 26–43–13 record—second-worst in the league and next-to-last in the Western Conference.
May 16, 2006, marked another blow when the beloved voice of the Blackhawks, Pat Foley, was let go after 25 years with the team, a decision that outraged fans. Foley's departure to the Wolves only deepened the rift between the Blackhawks and their supporters.
Yet, amid the darkness, a faint flicker of hope began to emerge in 2006—a sign that perhaps the franchise's long fall from grace could still be reversed....
#hockey #nhl #chicagoblackhawks #jonathantoews #toews
#blackhawks #hockeycanada #hockeydoc #minidocumentary

[trevorwhatever]

Undeniably one of the greatest Captains and Leaders to ever play the game.

[f_zed]

It was said that Tazer could be the best Scorer, Skater, Defensive Forward so on and so forth if he focused on one thing, but he chose not to and instead chose to be the best leader the game has seen since Messier

[Flappr]

This video made me very emotional. What an era. What a team. What a captain. We didnt know how good we had it

[westonlewis]

Seeing him no longer carry the "C" for the Hawks still hurts...

[cygnusx-]

Toews is a classic example of just how dominant a player can be without being a 100 point scorer. His importance to the Blackhawks and to those 3 Stanley cups cannot be measured in just offensive output. His ability on the Faceoff, his steller defensive game, his leadership on the ice and in the locker room, all those little things that make a true champion. I truly hope he gets a job in the Blackhawks front office. I don't want his time with the Blackhawks to be done. Chicago needs Jonathan Toews.

[Hockeyfan]

I love the hawks of the 2010’s. Toews, Kane, Hossa, Kieth, Crawford, saad, bolland, Campbell, etc. Toews however…I’ll miss him the most❤️🖤🤍

[TimTorinoWPGJets]

I got into hockey as a 14 year old in Australia in 2011. I can feel the emotion in your voice as you describe your passion for the game. In my early years of playoff hockey I remember guys like St Louis, Stamkos, Doan, Mike Smith and Quick showing me how awesome hockey is. Nowadays my favourite players are Hellebuyck, Vasilevskiy Kucherov and Scheifele. Keep making hockey videos, it just fuels my love for the game

[PersianSelection]

Been watching hockey for over 30 years....and I can confidently say this is one of the best hockey players I have ever seen in my life. It's just such a rare combination when you have a player who has insane hockey IQ, resilience, and the unusual skill set of being elite at literally every facet of the game.

[michaelparker]

Wonderful video. He was the best captain the hawks have ever seen and his mark on the franchise will never be forgotten.

[bochafish]

That opening goal is when we all knew. I was going to say "Dying Franchise" was too strong, but I did actively boycott the Hawks the year before the lockout. Despite being only 8 at the time, you were very accurate describing life as a fan under dollar Bill Wirtz. The only cool thing was with a student ID, you could get nosebleeds for $16 around that time, so we still went up until that two years before the lockout. The worst part was there was no cap, we were a big market team, but Wirtz would not spend money to get a decent product on the ice. They got rid of my heros growing up, JR, Cheli, and Belfour. Excellent video.

[johnjarecki]

My man, great video. Much like you I attribute my love of hockey to Tazer, wanted to play like him, emulate his style, and be a leader. Undoubtedly my favorite player on the Hawks. He, along with all the other greats in the 2010s made my childhood a dream.

[chrisboots]

Toews, Keith and hjalmer became some of my hero's watching them and trying to replicate their skills on the pond made a bigger impact on my life than I ever realized

[greathoonta]

What’s even more exciting regarding Toews is the similarities we are seeing in Connor Bedard to Johnny’s personality. We have seen so much amazing talent in the NHL never win anything, but rarely is that kind of heart we see in those players there and that’s truly what wins championships.

[WarReport.]

His goal against Colorado made me renounce my hometown Flames red for Blackhawks red, I had the centre ice package and marvelled at that goal, no Flame did anything exciting like that, not even Iggy. That goal vs Van where he willed it coast to coast to send it in overtime in game 7, stayed with me all offseason. They had no business being in game 7 vs how good that Vancouver team was that year.

[_kingclutchx_]

I am and grew up a Canucks fan and he still is one of my favourite players of all time

[Widacow]

I’ve seen Toews comps for Celebrini, and as a Sharks fan I hope he can have a similar career. Toews was always fun to watch.

[YoungZackary]

My dad and I had partial season tickets from 2006 to 2008. I know everything seems better when you're 10-12 years old but that Hawks team during Kane and Toews's rookie year was my favorite

[Garak]

Thank you for making this. What a privilege those years were.

[anthonydangelo]

I agree with pretty much everything thats being said about him..but it helps having a guy nicknamed showtime playing with you, marian hossa who was a top 10 forward during his Chicago day's, brandon saad, duncan keith, corey Crawford, Patrick sharpe ect in their prime. Coupled with excellent role players. Point being he had a great team to lead along with great players and it came together beautifully his fingerprints were all over that team and with him leading the way it catipulted the blackhawks to greatness. 3 cups in 5 years and if not for the kings historic 14 playoff run and game 7 OT win in Chicago in conference finals it would've been 4..they also made conference finals in 09..really impressive run.

[forsurechicago]

Toews in that Ducks series will always hold him at the highest regard