DENVER — Jonathan Toews lay contorted in the middle of the Chicago Blackhawks' dressing room Tuesday morning, doing yoga-like stretches to loosen up his lower back. At one point, he employed the use of a pulsating, lower-lumbar roller, using it as a fulcrum to stretch the muscles out even more.
The Blackhawks' decorated captain is still a young man, at 28, but, well, hockey is not easy on the body. Toews missed nine games in late November and early December with a back injury but told reporters Tuesday the back is "real good, actually." A bad back would be a convenient, and likely a legitimate, excuse for Toews' offensive statistical output being the lowest of his 10-year career.