Report: Blackhawks one of two NHL teams to vote against Return to Play

When Phase 3 of the NHL season officially began on July 13, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was asked what he thought about the Return to Play protocol and the fact that there would be labor peace until at least the 2025-26 season.

Toews seemed pleased with the agreements, telling reporters in a Zoom interview that “both sides really understood that it's a really crazy time, and we need to find a way to work together to come up with a deal and an understanding that works for not only the two of us but for fans.”

What Toews didn't say, however, is that — according to SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman — the Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes were the only two teams to vote no to the proposals. Friedman said he was told by “many, many, many players” that Toews was one of the most vocal players during negotiations.

“They said he was great, he asked relevant questions, he challenged whether or not this was really safe to play,” Friedman said during his "31 Thoughts: The Podcast" last week. “When you talk about star players standing up for other players, he did that. ...

“A couple guys told me at times they think that Toews was a real pain in the butt for some of the people at the NHLPA, but it came from a place that had good intentions. … He's smart. He's very curious. He's obviously very concerned about his body and how he takes care of his body.”

Toews, who is one of 31 players who make up the NHLPA's Executive Board, had been a full participant at training camp until missing the second half of Monday's practice and all of Tuesday's. The Hawks were off Wednesday and will practice Thursday at 11 a.m.

Toews gave a lengthy, well-thought out answer when asked about how the NHL and NHLPA came together to make this 24-team playoff happen. After saying he was “pretty happy, pretty excited” about the CBA agreement, he then went on to talk about the bubbles that players will be dealing with in Edmonton and Toronto.

“You're going to find all sorts of different attitudes as far as the bubble,” Toews said. “Part of me just says being away from people and isolating ourselves isn't really the answer.

“But I'm not going to sit here and talk about my views too much in that sense. At the end of the day there's a sacrifice we have to make and it'll be nice to get things going.”