Jonathan Toews

All the people that come out and show their support and their pride for your accomplishments, I think it really reminds you that without people you don't ever to get to live that dream. To play in the NHL is one thing, but to win the Stanley Cup and come back and share it with everyone is another thing.

My dad started taking me to Winnipeg games when I was 3 or 4. As a kid, I loved Wayne Gretzky, and I remember the first game I got to see him play against the Jets. The Kings beat the Jets, and I was happy that they did. Gretzky left the game after the first period, and I was upset about that.

From 1961 to 1964, I was fortunate enough to work at a think tank in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago. As a writer and editor, I reported in a publication about the thinkers. Our offices were in a former mansion; I worked in what had been the ballroom. As I sat typing my copy, I imagined the dancers waltzing.