Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews Surprises Wheaton Middle School Student
(CBS) -- Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews surprised students at Wheaton's Monroe Middle School on Tuesday as he presented the grand prize in a contest to an aspiring 13-year-old defenseman.
Jeff Kincaid didn't even enter the Total Hockey contest himself. His dad did it for him. His parents were in on the surprise, as was the school's staff, but none of it got back to Jeff, who was astonished when he was called to the stage.
As he walked to the stage, he said he asked himself, "What am I doing? Why am I here? And what's happening?"
Kincaid appeared somewhat lost standing next to his hero, but Toews said he understands the moment well. He was eight when he met Wayne Gretzky under slightly different circumstances.
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"Actually my mom and dDad took me out of school, I think it was in second grade, to meet Wayne Gretzky," Toews said.
The Great One posted for a photo and gave him an autograph. There was no chance to ask questions, but Toews said, "It made a big difference for a kid like me."
The situation Tuesday was somewhat different, and Toews told the middle schoolers that perseverance when studying subjects that aren't their best (for Toews, that meant math and science) can prepare you to face and conquer challenges later in life.
Whether the message got through amid all of the adolescent shrieks and cheers is open to question, but the effect on Jeff was obvious.
"Just to be standing two feet away from him was, like, crazy," he said.
Jeff has been recovering from a concussion, but the aspiring defenseman said he was sure the meeting with Toews would prompt him to improve his game.
"It's a 12 out of 10," he said.
For winning the contest, Jeff received new sticks, new skates and a $1,000 gift card from Total Hockey, which is also making a donation to the school's physical education program.
