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Generally, having your mother burst into your room in the morning isn't a good way to start your day.
When it happened to Jonathan Toews yesterday, he didn't mind one bit.
The Winnipegger was hosting his parents at his home in Chicago when he got a phone call that'll change his life.
Actually, his mom took the call on a cellphone in the kitchen. On the other end of the line, someone from Hockey Canada informing Toews he'd made the Olympic team for the most anticipated Winter Games in Canadian history.
"And she came running into my bedroom jumping up and down," Toews said during a conference call later in the day.
"So I kind of knew what was going on. It was kind of funny. It was definitely a special moment to share with my parents."
Unforgettable
Toews admits that he was a bundle of nerves before the call.
Sure, he had a gold-plated history with Team Canada, as the first Canadian to win gold medals at the world junior and world men's championship in the same year (2007).
And, yeah, he provided one of those unforgettable Maple Leaf moments when he scored three shootout goals in that world junior semifinal win over the U.S. three years ago.
But this was Canada's Olympic team, the toughest door in hockey to get your skate in.
So when it came time for Team Canada boss Steve Yzerman and his staff to phone the successful applicants, Toews, who's never failed to make a hockey team he's tried out for, at any level, just didn't know.
"I wasn't sure," he said. "You hear a lot of talk and people are going to gossip and give their own opinion ... and once you start hearing your name mentioned it kind of sinks in that you might have a chance."
Even at the raw age of just 21, which makes Toews the second-youngest member of a young Canadian team.
"It kind of slowly sinks in, the more you think about it," Toews said. "It's still tough to believe they chose me and they think I'm one of the guys they want to go in there and win a gold medal. It's definitely a huge honour."
There were reasons to doubt, though.
The Chicago Blackhawks captain started slowly this season, then a concussion kept him out of six games.
With 11 goals and 31 points, he ranked just 46th in NHL scoring.
'Competitive'
His plus-17 rating, though, was fourth-best. He's also known as one of the top face-off specialists.
And, yes, one of the best in the shootout.
Put it all together, and some have taken to comparing him to Stevie Y, himself.
"Obviously, it's hard for me to believe in a comparison like that," Toews said, his Winnipeg humility still intact. "Being a kid watching a guy like Steve Yzerman play, you never imagine you'd be talked about and compared to a guy like that. It's an incredible compliment. I've always just tried to be competitive at any part of this game."
That might be Toews greatest asset: the fierce competitor in him.
People in the know were picking him to succeed already at age nine, which is ridiculous for most players.
"One thing at a time," Toews said. "You dream of making the NHL, and once you do that you want to win a Stanley Cup. And eventually as a player the ultimate accomplishment is to represent your country, especially Canada, at the Olympic level."
And for your first to be on home soil, well, that just puts it over the top.
"To be with the best players in the world in your own country is something not too many guys get to do."
With that, of course, comes enough expectation to bury a team.
Look what expectation did to Canada four years ago: a seventh-place finish in Turin.
"I'm sure the one bit of advice guys like us would get from the players that were in Italy or have been to the Olympics before," Toews said, "is you can't expect to win."
Kind of like not expecting to make the team.
Just go play.
And if your mother winds up jumping up and down, you know you've probably done something right.
Contact Paul at paul.friesen@sunmedia.ca or 632-2788.