I guess if it takes games to get his interest to try and improve and not full weeks of practice and weight training, etc, then I'm glad he's gone. Whats the old saying......the ones with success are doing things to get better with nobody watching?
Best Toews story I ever heard: (told by Mark Poolman at a coaches clinic I attended)
~Its after a tough WCHA weekend at the Ralph on a Saturday night after all the fans have gone and there are only a handful of people in the building. He's heading out (Poolman), when he sees a light on in the training room/weight room. He goes in and sees whats going on and he sees none other than Jon Toews on a bike, drenched in sweat going full speed by himself. He goes over and asks him "Jon, what in the world are you doing?" Toews tells him flat out that he isn't in good enough shape, and he had to get better.
Moral of this story. Things might have been moving slowly for Toews at the time, but he fixed it himself and didn't look for an excuse, or a way out. He's playing in the NHL, has a gold medal, two stanley cups, the list goes on.