Chicago Blackhawks hold on to hopes of timely return of Jonathan Toews from concussion-NHL News
The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping that their captain and centre, Jonathan Bryan Toews, is able to make it to the squad just before the end of the National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
Toews, with the miss of the game on Thursday, March 29, 2012, has sat out of successive 18 games this season due to a concussion and despite working out extensively of late, he is yet to be cleared for contacts.
However, his latest workout has given a hope to the team as well as to the player for his return before the end of the regular season.
The team currently ranks 6th on the Western Conference points table and the captain’s possible comeback will be a timely boost to the squad, which is fighting hard through the competitive nature of late games of the season.
Following Thursday morning’s skate, the player said:
"Getting very, very close, getting to this point and not playing is probably the toughest thing to do, but at the same time, it's smart. “
He added:
"I definitely need a few more days to kind of see how it goes through this weekend, and we'll see where we're at next week, I guess. Right now, like I said, I'm feeling great. I just have to get those legs going and try to get myself back to being
as close to game shape as I can."
The next couple of days are going to be very important for the player as his fitness will determine his chance and ability to stage a comeback. A final timeline about his return might be given by the team then.
Both the management and player have been cautious in speculating the possibility of the return because of the uncertainty that normally surrounds the head injuries.
On many occasions, the players, who apparently look fit and report their rejoining to their team, experienced sudden return of concussion-like symptoms.
This is the reason that in spite of their higher hopes either of the parties has so far refrained from giving a timeline of the captain’s return.
Toews’ so called upper body injury was not confirmed to be concussion earlier, but his extended absence made the management to concede it to be so.
Apart from missing rather too many games, the player has remained well on the course of recovery and during last couple of training sessions has worked really hard on fitness, as noted by the team’s managers and coach.
Blackhawks, apparently being encouraged by his latest progress, are holding on to hopes of his availability in the concluding part of the 2011-2012 regular season.
The run for the playoffs has become very competitive for all teams and Blackhawks can benefit from their captain’s presence in the squad.
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