God Bless The Broken Road (Jonathan Toews)

Believe

Jonathan

For my day with the cup I return to Winnipeg once again. The Jets might not have won the cup recently but I always bring the cup back home when we win. And this time I brought my gigantic family with me. Emma and Patrick's wedding was coming up but they were kind enough to let me have my day with the cup with plenty of time before then. Then Patrick gets to have the cup at the wedding, how cute is that?

The day started off with a get together at my childhood home. A bunch of my younger year friends and coaches were at my house to celebrate the win. I didn't even think this many people liked me but here we are. I sit around with my friends nursing a beer while I watched people take pictures with the cup and mess around.

"You ever get tired of winning" my friend Peter asks.

"A good leader knows how to win, but he also knows how to lose" I inform him.

"Modesty at its finest" he grumbles causing me to giggle.

"But seriously, I never feel like I lose. I can't lose when I have four amazing kids and the perfect wife waiting for me. What is there to complain about" I shrug.

"You guys never fight" my brother asks me.

"That's not true... a healthy relationship doesn't mean you don't disagree at all. It means you don't put each other down but rather lift each other up when times get hard. You don't fight all the time but understand each other when you do. We only argue when something is really important to us but we figure it out together. There's never a doubt in my mind that we won't find our way out of something. I've never actually seen her get upset with anything the kids or I have done. She knows we all make mistakes, she even owns up to her own ones and moves on. Nothing really to fight about" I guess.

"Sometimes I wonder who here is living in a Disney room" he jokes.

"Defiantly the little girl running around here in a Tangled costume" I laugh.

Later in the day we return to the community center where I say a few words and take pictures. After a few autographs the cameras and reporters get lost leaving my family and the cup and I alone to go around the children's hospital up here in solitude. We didn't want them to feel like we were just here for publicity or some humanitarian award. We really wanted to help make their day. We walk around to the rooms and talk to the families. There were a bunch of Hawks fans up here which was pretty cool. My kids pass out jerseys and sticks and other things I got to hand out. Anything to brighten these kids day. Even though I won they're the ones who have to keep fighting. Although winning the cup is hard, it's nothing compared to beating cancer. These kids are the real heroes, nothing else to it.

We set the cup in the play area and the kids can come up and touch it. Parents take pictures and ask questions I'll happily answer. I look over and see Sam with a kid by who was by herself in the corner. She had a shiny bald head and a mask covering her mouth. Something I learned about Sam is that he believes everyone is important. I don't know if it's because he was the one that was usually left out or if it is his natural compassion for literally everything, but it gave him a really attractive personality. He stands up and sticks his hand out and the little girl grabs it. They walk over and kneel before the cup. He takes her finger and traces some of the names on the cup.

"This cup has been to every corner of the world. Kissed by the best athletes on the earth and has stories we can only dream up. It's the best trophy in all of sports, nearly a hundred years of history engraved on this thirty pond hunk of metal. It's priceless in the sense that it's just a trophy, but these names all have their own stories. How they got their names on here and why it means a lot to them. Some of them were long shots, some of them have their name on here six times. To have your name on this cup you have to be strong. You have to be fast and skilled and have a lot of heart. Each scratch and dent and imperfection makes this cup so unique, so beautiful, just like you. You have your own battle but that makes you more beautiful too" he says. Wow, he has a way with words.

"But I lost all my hair" she reasons.

"The hair doesn't make you pretty. You make the hair pretty" he says and I can see her smile from under her mask. I watch in shock as his game is better than most the players in the NHL. Even Patrick squirmed when he met Emma. But this boy just said probably the most beautiful monologue I've ever heard.

Eventually it's time to go and we go chill at my parents before heading home. I sit with Sam and just had to ask.

"So... you and that girl" I say and he smiles.

"Hey, I'm 9 now. I can handle it" he claims and it took everything in me not to laugh in his face.

"Oh really? Did she say anything" I wonder.

"Nothing much, she was pretty shy. But I could see it in her that she has a lot to say. She just needed to find her voice to say it" he shrugs.

"Yeah? And what did she finally say" I ask.

"That she's scared. She's scared that she'll make it but have nothing to live for. She isn't sure what she wants anymore" he claims. That's deep for kids that age but I guess they grow up fast. Those are no thoughts for someone that young but when you're in a hospital all day I suppose you have a lot of time to think.

"I want to use my voice to help her. People like her. Anyone who needs help" he starts.

"And you can. Maisie always says that if you're in a position to help you should" I recall.

"I know. That's how I got here after all. But if I can make half the difference in someone's life as your family has had in mine I know I would be doing something right" he claims.

"You know you're really well spoken for someone your age" I tell him.

"I read a lot" he shrugs causing me to laugh. I talk with him until Maisie gets done feeding Mason and we can all have a nice family dinner. Maisie asks us how our day was and we all answer. This year has been pretty surreal but I can believe it. I believe anything I put my mind to, and I believed in my team and my family. Always.