Toews Outshines the Circus

I wonder how many of the Vancouver Canucks can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time.  On a night when a combination of physical yet smart play was the key to victory, the Canucks proved that multi-tasking isn’t their best attribute.  8 penalties resulting in 4 power play goals was all it took for the Hawks to grab a 3-1 advantage heading back to Chicago.  

Before the game Adam Burish went on record saying that Vancouver is a bunch of ‘clowns.’ He chose to highlight Shane O’Brien and Alexander Burrows as the leaders of the circus.  Anyone who tuned in last night could see where he was coming from.  O’Brien took two cross checking penalties that a person who has never seen a hockey game could have called.  Not to be outdone, Burrows proved that he’s still the ringleader by cross checking a vulnerable Byfuglien across the neck later in the game.  Vancouver must have forgotten how well the Hawks played on the road this season while the circus was in town (although this time the clowns were at the GM Place and not the UC).

 But that’s enough about the ‘Nucks, let’s get to the real story behind this game, Jonathon Toews.  Captain Serious lead the way with a 5 point performance that has put him atop the leader board for scoring in this year’s playoffs.  At this pace, if Toews can take his team to the Promised Land, the Conne Smyth will be going right next to his Gold Medal in the trophy case (Unless they go 7 games against Montreal with Halak standing on his head).     

When I look back on things now, I wish Toews would have slipped one past Ryan Miller to win the Gold for Canada.  If that had happened maybe he would get the attention he deserves.  Despite being voted the best forward in the entire Olympic Tournament, Sid the Kid still got all the glory.  Toews is the most unknown superstar in maybe all of sports.  His ability to elevate his game to a higher level is something the city of Chicago hasn’t seen since Michael Jordan hung ‘em up.  From the World Juniors to the Olympics to the Playoffs, Toews resume is just as good as anyone in the league right now. 

If the Hawks do indeed win the Cup this year, I hope it’s at the disdain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  As a fan of not only the Hawks, but the NHL in general, there is nothing I want more than for Toews to outshine Crosby on the NHL’s biggest stage. 

With Alex Ovechkin beginning to prove that he’s not man enough to go toe to toe with Crosby, maybe it’s time we find another talent to take on the job.  Captain Serious gets my vote, and hopefully after this year’s playoffs there will be a lot of people feeling the same way.