No way Toews would miss out on Game 6
BOSTON — With the Stanley Cup at stake, there was no way Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was going to miss Game 6 on Monday at TD Garden.
“That’s for sure,” Toews said. “There’s no question about where I am physically.”
“He’s 100 percent ready to go,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said before the game.
Toews then went out and proved it, scoring the Hawks’ first goal and setting up Bryan Bickell in the third period for the first of 2 Chicago scores in the final 1:16 of their dramatic 3-2 win over Boston that clinched a second Cup in four years.
“He had a monster game,” Quenneville said.
Toews sat out the third period of Game 5 on Saturday, watching from the bench, as the result of several blows he took to the head area from Bruins defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Zdeno Chara earlier in the game.
“That was just the coaches being cautious by not letting me get back out on the ice in the third period,” Toews said. “It got to the point where I felt ready to go again and I’m ready to play.”
Toews said before the game that he was nervous but ready to play for the Stanley Cup.
“That’s part of playing in big games,” Toews said. “I’ve always said hockey is a game where you play with a lot of emotion, excitement and energy, but on the other hand there’s a side where you need to just stay calm, stay under control, play with the puck and make confident plays.
“We’ve got a lot of guys in that room that want this and we’ve worked hard to get here.”
Dave Bolland’s goal with 59 seconds to play gave the Hawks the win.
“It’s rare that you get the chance to play a game where the Stanley Cup is in the building and you have a chance to capture it, but you can’t let that thought enter your mind,” Toews said. “That’s what we’ve done throughout these playoffs. We’ve never worried about winning a game until that last minute.”
Toews didn’t want to get specific about his injury.
“There were a couple hits I took that I guess the coaches didn’t think I was ready to play in the third period,” Toews said. “Obviously, you always want to bounce back. It’s a physical game, but for me there are no worries there. The coaches were confident we would win while making sure I wasn’t risking anything.
“You take a lot of hits in a series like this. They’re doing what we would. You want to target their top players and they’re doing the same to us.”
Toews’ teammates were glad to have him back in the lineup.
“It’s huge for us,” rookie Brandon Saad said. “He’s a great player who leads the way out there. He took a tough hit there and we didn’t know what was going to happen, but he’s one of those competitors who always wants to be on the ice.”
Andrew Shaw had no doubt that Toews would play.
“Deep down, I knew he’d play,” Shaw said. “He’s a great player. He’s a great competitor. He’s a huge leader. He knows we need him out there.”