I am all for 2nd - and even third chances. However, sometimes what you do shouldn't be ignored, and you shouldn't have an automatic 2nd chance. Sometimes you should have to work for a 2nd chance if it is egregious enough. Has Toews put in that work? Has he atoned for this? Has he apologized for Beach? Has he attended any courses? Volunteered anywhere? Done anything at all? I honestly don't know.
He was the captain of the team that openly mocked and bullied a rape victim. I don't care if you are 20 or 30 or 50. When I was 5 years old I probably knew already not to mock someone for an awful event in their lifetimes. He could have protected Beach, instead he was part of the problem. Another life was then permanently damaged thanks to this silence (well, silence when rape jokes weren't being made).
I disliked Toews early. That team always had a stench about them. The rumoured racist remark against Iginla... Or when Brendan Morrison got injured and was slowly hobbling off the ice, only to be mocked by the Blackhawks' bench as he was going by. Or when they mocked Shawn Thornton as he was skating by to get stitches to his huge gash on his face. They have always been a bunch of clowns on that team.
He is 37 now. He must have lost a heck of a lot of weight from his health issue. He hasn't played in over a year. I also remember that he was regressing rather quickly and looked really slow out there. I don't think a team will really want him on the ice, and with his history now, I doubt that they will want him in their room either. That's just inviting a circus that can throw-off a room and have a season start on the wrong foot.
If he lands anywhere, it will probably be Chicago.
As for the Flames, i think the Flames are great with Backlund who will yell F-Bombs at a coach when he is too hard on his teammates (like he did with Sutter). Or Kadri who got up and spoke out about racism. Or Huberdeau who never once shied away from the media and instead always took full responsibility for his sharp regression in production and being told he is the worst contract in the league. I wouldn't want the Flames to bring Toews onto this team just in case he turns the Flames into the asshats that Chicago was. I love a team full of confidence and swagger, but I can't cheer for a bunch of ass-hats and jerks.
Moot argument anyway - I would be very shocked if he was anywhere close to NHL caliber, even with a full off-season to train.
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