Hawks awed, amazed by wounded soldiers

WASHINGTON — Even before the Blackhawks got to the White House on Friday, they were still talking about their moving experience from Thursday when they visited wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

While several players admitted they went expecting to find and see the worst, just the opposite occurred. The Hawks were amazed and humbled by soldiers who had lost arms and legs while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. They were in positive spirits despite their horrific injuries.

“You don’t know what to expect exactly and you get there and it pretty much blows you away,” Jonathan Toews said. “It was a pretty special opportunity for us to go there. Everyone was talking about it after about someone they spoke to.

“One kid I met is 22 years old. He said he joined five days after his high school graduation and just had been injured a couple weeks ago. People treat us good and you feel good what you do on the ice, but it doesn’t mean much to what those guys are doing.”

Patrick Kane was struck that most of the wounded soldiers he met were the same age as him.

“It was definitely an eye-opening day,” Kane said. “It’s amazing to think that all these soldiers and wounded warriors have such a positive outlook on life. You ask them how old they are and they’re 22 or 23 years old and you can’t even imagine yourself in that situation.

“It makes you realize how fortunate you are that you can walk and use your hands. Obviously they’re special people with a great outlook, but at the same time it’s sad.”

The Hawks passed out jerseys, hats, pennants, posters and signed autographs for the soldiers and families during their two-hour visit.

“You walk in there and you can’t help but feel kind of awkward and you don’t want to ask too many questions, but we were asked to ask questions and ask about their stories,” Patrick Sharp said. “Every guy enjoyed talking about their situation and what happened, then you ask their age and they’re all so young. It was definitely a special day.”

President Barack Obama mentioned the Hawks’ visit to Walter Reed during Friday’s ceremony at the White House honoring the 2010 Stanley Cup champions and what it meant to the soldiers.

“In the end, it was about more than just bringing home one of the biggest trophies in sports,” the President said. “ It was about a city coming together behind one team and one goal. It was about getting the chance to share that experience with others. And that’s why, over the last year, members of this team have been taking the Cup on the road — stopping everywhere from ice rinks to hospitals to let people have their moment with the trophy and help spread some of the joy.

“(Thursday), for example, they took the Cup to visit wounded warriors at Walter Reed Hospital. So they helped raise the spirits of men and women who’ve sacrificed so much on behalf of our country. I want to thank them for everything they’re doing to give back.”