Earlier tonight, we discussed the fact that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp practiced with the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. At the same time, it wasn’t yet clear if Toews’ All-Star Game sabbatical would be enough to heal him up for what should be a deliciously exciting game against the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow.
CSNChicago.com’s Tracey Myers has an update that justifies the conjecture about resting up for enemies as she reports that Toews will play against Chicago’s bitterest rivals. Sharp’s status remains questionable, however.
“(Monday) was the first tine I touched a puck since the injury but there are all kinds of precautionary things you have to go through,” Sharp said. “I’d like to think (I could play tomorrow). I’m a little rusty but, again, we’ll see how it feels in the morning.”
In the grand scheme of things, Toews received the equivalent of a spring break at the expense of a single regular season contest and another All-Star appearance. Deep down, you have to wonder if the Blackhawks are doing a mini-fist pump at this situation.
(It would have been an even bigger slam dunk if Chicago was victorious, but they instead dropped a game to the Nashville Predators, who topped them in a home-and-home set.)
Deep down, I wonder if other teams are jealous of the fact that big-minutes, high-impact stars like Toews and the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin were able to get these little siestas without the senior citizen pass awarded to Teemu Selanne and Nicklas Lidstrom. A more devious executive might just want to manufacture a few phantom injuries if both players enjoy clear benefits.
(Ovi raved about his unexpected vacation, for one.)