"Jonathan Toews contends the impact of his leadership gets exaggerated in Chicago.

No, he didn't lay hands on coach Joel Quenneville to cure his ulcer. He doesn't give Hawks rookie defenseman Nick Leddy directions to Rockford and change for tolls each time the 19-year-old gets sent down. Every time the Hawks rebound from a bad period, it doesn't mean Toews just delivered a paint-peeling rant to his teammates in the dressing room.

"I took a lot of jokes from the boys about what I supposedly said in St. Louis (after the Blues took a 2-0 lead Feb. 20), but that situation was like a lot of others this season,'' Toews recalled Tuesday of that 5-3 comeback victory. "I was frustrated. That's it. It's pretty funny how things get blown out of proportion.''

OK, but seriously, Captain, this is no overstatement: Suddenly chants of "M-V-P!" belong at hockey games inside the United Center too, as early as Wednesday against the Flames.

With 19 games to go, you don't have to own a red No. 19 sweater to consider Toews a legitimate contender for the Hart Trophy if he maintains this level of play and the Hawks make the playoffs. The Hart Trophy surely factors in a guy's heart, right?

Not since Stan Mikita in 1968 has a Hawk won the award given the league's most valuable player. But, of more interest, if Toews and Derrick Rose of the Bulls indeed both win MVPs this season — not exactly a reach — Chicago will become only the second city to produce the most valuable player in the NHL and NBA the same season. Los Angeles did it in 1988-89 with Magic Johnson of the Lakers and Wayne Gretzky of the Kings.

Magic and the Great One joined by Toews and the Great 1? That would be cool company to keep for two guys more alike than different.

When I asked Toews if he was prepared for the inevitable MVP talk this month, he responded with everything but aw, shucks. The way Rose has mastered."