WINNIPEG — Jonathan Toews will face his former team for the first time when the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, CHSN).
The Jets forward won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015) as captain of the Blackhawks, and compiled one of the most decorated careers in the history of the franchise during his 16 seasons in Chicago.
“Overall, I think there’s still a connection to the organization and the city of Chicago and I think there always will be,” Toews said. “I think Chicago was my home for a long time and it’s days like this that you get to stop for a second, reflect, look back.
“I’ve always said I’m very thankful for how things went in Chicago. It was definitely a dream. I had some tougher years towards the end of my time there that help you put things in perspective and make you realize that the success we had is what everyone in the league is going after and it’s a really, really hard thing to do.”
Prior to the Winnipeg-native signing a one-year contract with his hometown Jets in July, Toews was out of the NHL since the end of the 2022-23 season.
Toews had Chronic Immune Response Syndrome that kept him out for the entire 2020-21 season. In his final season with the Blackhawks, he missed time dealing with the effects of long COVID-19.
Toews, now 37, began his long road back to the NHL a few years ago, even though a return to the league wasn’t certain.
“Him and I have kept in touch a little bit throughout the years,” Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno said this week. “I’ve been cheering him on as a guy who broke into the league the same time he did (2006 NHL draft). I always admired him, known him for a long time. I’m thrilled for him. … If he’s told he’s not going to do it, he’s going to do it. That’s something that he needed to get healthy and feel good about himself and his game, and you knew if he did that, he was still going to come back and be an effective player in this league.
“He’s too good and he’s going to be a Hall of Famer for a reason. I’m just thrilled for him, as an older player, to show there’s a lot of game left, a lot of miles left. It’s probably a good lesson for a lot of people: when you’re counted out and finally healthy, how effective you can be. You just keep working at it and finding your way. Jonathan’s always gone about it his own way. I’m thrilled for him that he’s back.”
The No. 3 pick by Chicago in the 2006 NHL Draft, Toews had 883 points (372 goals, 511 assists) in 1,067 career games with them. He was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, awarded to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in 2010 when he had 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 22 postseason games.
He also won the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward in 2012-13 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2014-15. Toews won gold with Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the League’s Centennial Celebration in 2017.
“It’s a cool story for him to get to come back and play at a high level,” Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard said. “I think that’s special for even fans here who obviously watched him, he was captain of the three Cup teams. It’s cool for us to get to play him again but I think the game when he comes back (to Chicago) is going to be pretty awesome.”
Toews has looked comfortable centering Winnipeg’s second line and second power-play unit this season. He has five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 games, his first stretch of pro hockey after a span of 910 days between NHL games.
“I don’t think I ever had doubts,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said Thursday. “He is too creative an athlete and he is so driven, his mindset, his determination, all those things that we saw in Chicago for all those years, when they were doing what they were doing there and winning championships. He has that drive. I met him in the summertime in August, and I think he wanted to play the next day, if he could.
“I knew it was all about playing these heavy games, playing a lot of games in a short period of time, getting up to speed with new linemates and new players that he has never been around before, different systems he has been really good with our guys, with the coaches, showing him stuff individually, he has improved each and every day.”
Toews, who will have to wait until Jan. 19 to play at Chicago, said he’s been feeling the energy and excitement that comes with the early part of an NHL season and hopes to ramp things up as the season progresses.
“I mean, it’s not supposed to be easy,” Toews said. “I think (October is) the time of year when you’ve got a lot of energy and you’re super excited to play coming out of training camp. So yeah, I kind of get what I wished for now. So it’s been good. Let’s keep this thing going here.
“I think at the end of the day, I’m just trying to go out there and play loose, play with some confidence. I think the one thing that’s easy to struggle with is you get in the puck area and you get a little jumpy, or you get a little anxious sometimes and make plays a little bit quick or sometimes you have more time than you think. So to me, it’s just really finding my legs and finding my ability to just relax with the puck and just go out there and make some more creative plays and create a little more offence out there.”
