FEATURE: Kane, Toews Reminisce on 1,000 Games Together

On Oct. 10, 2007, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane made their debut together as Blackhawks teammates and made their presence known by connecting on their first ever point together. Three Stanley Cups and close to 15 years later, the two iconic Chicago forwards can add another milestone to their long list of achievements together.
In Sunday's matchup against the New York Rangers, Kane and Toews will play in their 1,000th career game together. The veteran captain reflected on the special milestone, reminiscing on everything the two have experienced throughout their career with the Blackhawks.
"It's pretty special," Toews said. "It's funny to think that we grew up learning a lot about ourselves as people and hockey players but just becoming the identities that we had as Blackhawks player. So, it seems kind of cool that we got to grow up and have all the experiences we did together."

The duo are set to become the 11th pair of teammates in NHL history to reach the milestone of 1,000 games together, and the second set of Blackhawks behind former teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. They will be the third set of active teammates to reach this achievement, joining the Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, as well as Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.

Although head coach Luke Richardson has not paired them together as much this season, he knows he can count on them in other areas, like the team's power play unit and being the leadership voices within the locker room.
When watching them together on or off the ice, the first-year head coach notices the chemistry that they have built throughout the years, setting the perfect example for the younger players on the team. Even with all of their acheievements, he can see they are always hungry for more.
"I think other people see that these two guys have accomplished so much, and they're still digging for more, so it's good to see and they utilize each other and push each other in certain areas, too," Richardson said. "So that's a good thing for young players to see."
Toews described himself as a brash and naive player when he first entered the league in 2007. The third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft felt those two early attributes helped build his confidence and made him succeed early on in his career.
Under the leadership of former Chicago Blackhawk captain Denis Savard, the duo's first head coach, Toews believed that no matter who they were paired with, they were still able to create the success that they needed.
"We had a lot of opportunities to just go out there and grow at our own pace as players," Toews said. "At the same time, we had a pretty good team around us and it didn't take us long to have success."

The former first overall draft pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, Kane felt fortunate to be selected by Chicago -- not only for the city, but for the growing fanbase. He viewed it as a new opportunity to continue playing hockey and to help a struggling team become contender for the Stanley Cup.
Coming into the league at the age of 18, many would not know what to expect or how to handle the pressure. For Kane, having Toews come up in the process with him made it easier to lean on each other and experience the journey together.
"Coming up together as rookies and going through everything together at such a young age and kind of feeding off each other to understand what that person was going through at that time," Kane said. "It's tough when you're 18 or 19 years old and coming into the league you kind of have to know everything that's going on, so it's nice to come up together."
In the last 15 years, they've continue to show how much trust they have built with each other. After connecting on their first point together in Oct. 2007, they have come close to tallying 300 points as a tandem, with over 100 goals scored each with the other tallying an assist. Together, they've helped secure 530-plus regular season wins for the Blackhawks.

Toews described his role in the duo as the playmaker who battled hard in the corner to gain control of the puck. When he needed to make a pass, he knew he could trust Kane to work his magic.
"I think we just knew what to expect that each other and I think he was that kind of guy, if you gave him the puck, time and space, he wasn't going to make too many mistakes," Toews said. "There's obviously a lot of opportunity and what he could create when he was in this situation."
After being placed on a line together for the first few seasons, Kane explained they were able to build off that chemistry immediately. Toews' ability to maintain the puck within the offensive zone complimented Kane's skill of being able to move the puck where it needed to be.
"We played together a long time, especially to start out our careers," Kane said. "We just kind of developed that chemistry right away. He was good at playing both ends of the ice to make it easier on me to make moves with the puck. We just developed things that worked."

When they weren't making plays on the ice and building strong chemistry, they also brought out the competitive side of their relationship. Kane noted that some moments were better than others, it still made their chemistry better.
Whether they were bringing out the competitor or confidence within each other on and off the ice, they continue to see the growth they have made not only as people but as members of the Blackhawks organization.
"I was envious of his confidence and wasn't sure where he got it from sometimes," Toews said. "He was just one of those guys that had confidence in his game and who he was off the ice as well. I think now he's just down to earth but he's focused on the game and just very real and humbled with who he is. It's been fun to kind of grow up together as Blackhawks."