Bad Idea~Jonathan Toews Fanfic~

Final

A year later

*

On this night, my husband of almost twenty years, Jonathan Toews, is being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. We aren't exactly sure why it took so long, not even Mr. Bettman knows.

Anyway, we're in Toronto for this year's ceremony. Jonathan was given a certain amount of seats to be seated with him, so it's me and the girls, my parents, his parents, and his brother. I've been helping Jonathan prepare his speech for weeks now, since the second Bettman told him he was being inducted. It's an eight minute speech, after cutting it down from almost twenty.

After our dinner with a whole bunch of authoritative figures, we're all sat in the hall in front of the stage. Jonathan isn't the only 'Hawk to be inducted tonight. Artemi Panarin is also being inducted. Along with Hendrik Lundqvist and Steven Stamkos. We are seated in the second row, behind Stamkos and his family.

Steven Stamkos is given his award and gave his speech first, then Lundqvist did the same, and now, it's Jonathan's turn.

"Ladies and gentleman, here to present him his block from last year's class, Joe Thorton. Please welcome, Jonathan Toews".

Jonathan stands up from beside me, letting my go of my hand between us. He passes Josie and his parents to the aisle while everyone claps throughout the hall. He stands next to Joe Thorton for pictures and then takes his speech notes from his inside jacket pocket.

*His speech. No body else talks in this section*

Thank you, thank you, so much. Huh, wow. I never actually thought I would be standing here in front of you tonight, I never thought anything right in my life would have happened, this is surreal. I give many thanks to everybody who has supported me through both, my years playing hockey in Chicago, and my past few years coaching in Winnipeg. I would also congratulate the others inducted tonight, Hendrik Lundqvist and Steven Stamkos, and, my long time teammate and one of best friends, Artemi Panarin.

I would first like to thank my coaching staff in Chicago when I played there for nineteen years. My only had that one head coach, and I never thought I would be as close with a coach as I am now. Coach Joel Quenneville. I met you close to thirty years ago, just before my NHL draft in two thousand seven. I have to two things to thank you for, the first, being the best and most hard working coach I could have ever asked for, and the second, well, it has to do with our former head trainer, CJ Quenneville.

I thank you for being her father, Joel, because without that, I probably wouldn't have had the best years of my hockey career when she started training. I thought she was such a great trainer, I married her. Well, maybe not. I married her because I love her, with all my heart, and that will never change. We've been married for nineteen years, so I guess nineteen is my lucky number, I just didn't know it until now. We have two amazing daughters, Josie and Rosalina.

Born out in Winnipeg, my brother and I had learned to skate before we learned how to walk. We were on the ice before my parents knew it. I had taught my younger brother to skate with me, and I wasn't quite two years old then. My brother and I have one of the most competitive relationships I have ever seen between two brothers, or anyone, and I know that made us both better hockey players. My parents were supportive of both of our choices in life, and I couldn't have done anything in my career without their help.

Concentration, work ethic, honor, and discipline. Those four terms have run through my head since I started playing hockey, even as a small boy. Concentration, the term I use when I want to win a game, or to even accomplish the simplest task in life. Work ethic, I use when I know things need to be done, finished, ended. Whether my coaching staff and I are given a time to create new plays, or I'm at home helping my girls with their homework. Honor. I feel honor when I'm in a place like this, in front of people just like you. Honor, I feel when my daughters tell their friends that they're proud of what they're father has done to help and contribute to the NHL and all hockey communities around the States and here in Canada. Discipline. I have both received and given it.

Most players tell you that they've been on five different teams in their time playing in the NHL, and they loved it, but I was never one of them, I wanted to stay on one team. I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity, and Chicago is and always will be my home. That one team, the Blackhawks, was the strongest community of people I've ever been a part of. We knew what someone else was thinking before we knew what we were thinking on the ice. We learned to communicate and win the moment we skated onto that ice together. Breadman can testify for to that. Our team learned what it was like to live and breathe the game together, whether we needed that one little thing, or we had to change one giant thing.

I met my entire non-blood related family in Chicago, just to name a few, Andrew Shaw, Corey Crawford, Patrick Kane. We were inseparable on and off the ice together, and I guess our fans knew it. Our 'ship' names were some of my favorites. Kazer was my particular favorite. We showed or fans that we knew each other as more than just players on the ice, but as friends in general.

Everybody talks about their heroes being Gordie Howe or Bobby Ore, and don't get me wrong, they are pretty much my heroes, but my heroes are also my family. My daughters, my parents, my brother, but most importantly, my wife. My wife was named best athletic trainer three years in a row, and most people have never seen her in person. Like the rest of the training staff of almost all hockey teams, they're invisible to the public. So, not as only my hero and my wife, I would like to invite my wife, CJ, and the rest of my family, to the stage. To show you that we're normal when we're not on the ice, and for you to see the face of a trainer that trained not only I, but many more hall of famers to come.

*Not end of speech, but back to CJ's POV*

Mama Toews grabs my hand from beside me and we start to walk up to the stage. We cross in front of it and make our way up the few stairs, Papa Toews, the girls, and David follow me. Jonathan watches us and starts to continue his speech.

"My family is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. In my time as both a player and as a coach, I was asked if I would ever give up everything to do with hockey for a normal job, to work our dream job. Engineer, Doctor, anything we wanted to be. I said no. There is only one thing that I would give up my hockey career for. My family. My wife, my children, my brother, and my parents. If they were to tell me to give up my career at this exact moment, I would throw it all away in a heartbeat. I just hope they wouldn't tell me to be an accountant, because I really suck at math".

I look out at the crowd, at all the different people staring at me, Jonathan, and my family. I look for my father and mother. They sit a few seats back from where our seats are. I smile down at Dad, who makes quick eye contact with me for a second, looks away, then looks right back. We stare, having a slight father daughter moment, me standing here with my husband, him watching one of his most prized players give his hall of fame speech.

"To conclude, I want to congratulate my fellow hall of famers being inducted tonight, and I want to thank everyone I have tonight, one last time, for everything they have helped me with. For all little kids, and even some adults who look up to me as a hockey player and coach, I want to say one thing, and I'm sure you hear it a lot from a lot of people. Follow your dreams, and some day, if you really want it, you will be standing right here where I am, giving your own inductee speech" Jonathan pauses for a quick moment. "Thank you".

Everybody claps around us. I grab Rosalina's shoulders, and Josie's too, and pull them to my side, giving them a side hug. Jonathan comes over to me and our girls, wrapping his arms around all of us.

My family, my friends, my life.

All of them,

Perfect.

THE END