Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews has been named one of the captains for this year’s NHL All-Star Game, the league announced Wednesday. Columbus Blue Jackets winger Nick Foligno is the other captain, setting up the matchup of Team Toews vs. Team Foligno for this year’s big exhibition on Jan. 25 in Columbus.
Team Toews will be joined by assistants Ryan Getzlaf and Rick Nash, while Team Foligno will also feature Drew Doughty and Patrick Kane. Yes, they’ve split up the Blackhawks’ two biggest stars, and no, I have no idea which team I’m supposed to root for. (j.k. it’s obviously Team Toews).
Toews’ team will technically be the road team, according to the Chicago Tribune, which makes sense considering Foligno is a hometown star. It appears the league was always going to select one star from Columbus and one from elsewhere, so it’s nice to see that the Blackhawks captain got the nod. The team will be coached by Peter Laviolette and the staff of the Predators, so maybe Toews can learn some little tips in case the ‘Hawks meet Nashville in the spring.
Toews was voted into the All-Star Game this year along Chicago teammates Kane, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford.