Jonathan Toews Case Study

Personal/Hockey Life

Jonathan Toews is born on April 29th, 1988 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Toews grew up playing hockey in Winnipeg. He has one brother who used to play hockey and was drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round of the 2008 NHL draft, but he does not play anymore. Jonathan Toews played for the Winnipeg Warriors U15 AAA team (02-03) before moving to the States to play for the Shattuck St. Mary’s 18U Prep team (03-04). Toews would eventually play NCAA hockey with the University of North Dakota for two seasons (04-05 and 05-06), in the second season, he was granted assistant captaincy (A). Toews later entered the NHL draft in 2006, where he was drafted third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. Toews played the rest of his NHL career with the Blackhawks. He played in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Shattuck St. Mary’s), North Dakota, Chicago and Canada (Olympics, World Cup, World Juniors, etc.) Throughout his career. Toews was granted captaincy (C) in 08-09, winning three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013 and 2015), one Conn Smythe (2010) and an NHL All-Star Several times. Currently, Toews is on a ‘break’ from hockey to deal with physical and mental health.

Personality Characteristics

A negative personality characteristic that has impacted Toews is his consistency on the ice. Many people would argue that Toews has grown inconsistent since the beginning of his NHL career despite him being on a top team, a two-way forward & a good face-off winner. He just lacks in putting up the goals and assists. During the beginning of the 2015-16 season, Toews would find himself on a cold streak, having only one goal and one assist in the last nine games. A goal would later bring Toews’ third five-or-more-games goalless streak. This has happened in several other seasons, including 2012-13 and 2013-14.

A positive personality characteristic that has impacted Toews is his leadership. Toews is argued to be one of the best leaders in the NHL since he became captain in 08-09 as he led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups and helped younger players such as Alex DeBrincat, Riley Stillman, etc. Improve the way he contributes on and off the ice, always knows what to say, includes everyone, has a never-say-die attitude, stands up for his teammates, and the list goes on. 

Moments

A moment in Jonathan Toews’ career where he experienced success was winning the 2010 Stanley Cup in overtime of game six against the Philadelphia Flyers. He was also rewarded with the Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP) of the playoffs. He led the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup in 49 years and became the second youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup at 22 years and 41 days (behind Crosby). He is the youngest Conn Smythe winner. He played 22 games and had seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points. 

A moment in Jonathan Toews’ career where he experienced failure was when he and the Blackhawks were swept (4-0) in the first round by the Nashville Predators in 2017. This was a huge deal since the Blackhawks were Stanley Cup champions for the third time in five years in 2015. A lot of people after the Nashville-Chicago series questioned Toews’ leadership, including former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. “I wish I was clued on it because we looked bad out there.”

Health Factors

A clear motivating factor that Jonathan Toews uses to help him perform his best is nutrition. In 2010, he started to work with a nutritionist due to his lack of eating, digesting foods, etc. Which is something he struggled with in his childhood, teen and early adult years. He needed to change his way of eating and understand the chemistry of his body. The moment he did, he started to play and live life better.

A clear anxiety/stress factor that decreases Jonathan Toews’ performance is his health condition. He was diagnosed with Chronic Immune Response Syndrome (CIRS) in June 2021. He missed the entire 2020-21 season due to this illness. He also suffers from long-Covid symptoms. After the 2020-21 season, he was limited in games and did not perform well. “There’s a lot of things that piled up, where my body just fell apart,” Toews said. “... I just couldn’t quite recover, and my immune system was reacting to everything that I did. Any kind of stress, anything that I would do throughout the day, there was always that stress response.”

The factors that contribute to Jonathan Toews’ health issues are primarily chronic fatigue and symptoms associated with long COVID, which include fatigue and brain fog. As Toews mentioned, he has some of those symptoms. Additionally, the pressures of professional sports, stress, mental health challenges and potential lingering effects from past injuries or illnesses may play a role in overall well-being. 

Psychology Intervention

The most appropriate sports psychology intervention to address Jonathan Toews’ health issues is mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a complementary intervention to improve sports performance. It involves non-judgmental, present moment and task-relevant awareness. Mindfulness consists of being fully present and engaged in the current moment while acknowledging and accepting one’s thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations without judgment. It involves practices such as deep breathing and focusing attention on the here and now.

Mindfulness is the most appropriate for Jonathan Toews’ health because it promotes relaxation and reduces stress, which can lead to better physical recovery and overall health. By practicing mindfulness, Toews can enhance his body’s ability to cope with the physical demands of his role, improve focus during training and games, and foster a greater connection between his mind and body, ultimately supporting his physical performance. 

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References

2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Stanley_Cup_playoffs

Baum. C. (2022). In Their Words: Toews is a Natural-Born Leader. Chicago Blackhawks. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/in-their-words-toews-a-natural-born-leader-33244332

Greenberg. S. (2019). Captain Marvelous. Chicago Suntimes. Retrieved from https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-saturday/2019/6/1/18646935/nhl-playoffs-2019-chicago-blackhawks-jonathan-toews-is-too-hungry-to-stop-crushing-it-now

Jonathan Toews. (n.d.). Elite Prospects. Retrieved from https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8792/jonathan-toews

Jonathan Toews. (n.d.) Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Toews

Shilton. K. (2023). Jonathan Toews Stepping Away From NHL to Focus on Health. ESPN. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/38211001/jonathan-toews-stepping-away-nhl-focus-health

Stumbaugh. J. (2023). Jonathan Toews on His Blackhawks NHL Future: If It’s Not a Hell Yeah, It’s a Hell No. Bleacher Report. Retrieved from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10071503-jonathan-toews-on-his-blackhawks-nhl-future-if-its-not-a-hell-yeah-its-a-hell-no

Willis. J. (2015). Do Jonathan Toews’ Struggles with Consistency Make Him Overrated? Bleacher Report. Retrieved from https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2598864-do-jonathan-toews-struggles-with-consistency-make-him-overrated.amp.html

Wire. S. (2017). Jonathan Toews Apparently Teaching Blackhawks an Important Lesson About Total Failure. Sports Pickle. Retrieved from https://sportspickle.com/nhl/jonathan-toews-apparently-teaching-blackhawks-important-lesson-total-failure.html