Cale Makar and Devon Toews bring infectious professionalism to Colorado Avalanche

Toews has done a ton of work with Freedom Service Dogs, which is an organization that helps people with disabilities and military vets partner with custom-trained assistance dogs.

“We actually named a Black Lab Litter after a bunch of the guys a couple of months ago so that was fun,” Toews said. “We brought them into the rink and the guys got to play with them, so it’s cool to see what they do and how hard they work — and how well trained the dogs are.”

Apparently Erik Johnson has about 10 dogs and Makar is a pretty decent dog sitter, but the biggest puppy guy in the team is Samuel Girard.

“I wouldn’t let the goalies anywhere near my dogs, they’re already weird enough,” Toews said jokingly. 

Bonding over puppies isn’t the only thing that this Avalanche team does away from the rink. In fact, a bunch of them bond over watching some of the new trending shows. 

Makar has come a long way since his NHL Entry-Level contract deal. Sometimes success and fame may change people, but he is just as humble as he was in his UMass days. 

He still enjoys a good slurpee, but when I asked Makar if he has a favorite item that he’s purchased, Bowen Byram overheard me and felt the need to chime in by saying, “a couple nice shacks,” which led Makar into talking about his home in Colorado.

“I have a good spot in Denver now, so probably that,” Makar said. “It’s going to be your biggest purchase in life, so it’s good to be able to solidify the roots in Denver.”

Makar’s transition into the NHL wasn’t typical. He played his first game in the show in the playoffs and has taken off ever since. He has learned a lot about himself since he packed up his dorm room in 2019 before settling into Colorado. 

“I try to just enjoy it. I think I’m a guy that takes everything very seriously — just the day in, day out,” Makar said.” Now it’s a lot about the mental side of the game and it can’t always be about hockey. I think there are times that you can separate yourself mentally from the game — get that little reset. You have to find ways to dial it in when you need to, but at the same time you have to be able to take a step back for your mental well-being.”

The chemistry between Makar and Toews is off the charts on the ice, but that all stems from how they carry themselves away from it. These are two gentlemen that live their lives like the pros that they are when they throw on that Avalanche sweater.