"I still have the hands," Toews said. "The feet will catch up.
"I'll always be a Winnipeger through and through."
Toews' return ceremony spread joy throughout Manitoba and the entire hockey world, the presence of Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham and Manitoba premier Wab Kinew reflecting "the existing enormity of the story," per the New York Times.
"I'm just blessed to play the game of hockey at this level again," Toews said, "and especially for the Jets."
Toews will be celebrating a different, and all but forgotten, career milestone Friday, the 17th anniversary of being named Blackhawks captain after his rookie season.
Only 20 years and 79 days old, Toews was the third youngest captain in NHL history. Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) were younger, each age 19.
"At the time, Toews thought the Blackhawks captaincy should have gone to more established veteran players such as Brent Seabrook or Duncan Keith," wrote historian Mike Commito in "Hockey 365."
Then-Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon disagreed.
"Jonathan is a tremendous individual and a wonderful leader on and off the ice," he asserted.
Senior team members supported Toews, who helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years with a 4-3 overtime victory at the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 9, 2010, and was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There were more honors to come, including the 2013 Selke Trophy given to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. He also became the youngest member of the Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup and a gold medal at the Olympics and IIHF World Championship.
Within five years, Toews captained Chicago to championships in 2013 and '15, the latter when won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award and an ESPY as the best player in the NHL. At the time, he was hailed as one of the most respected players in the League, with no foreseeable end to his career.
But Toews was limited to 124 games over two seasons after Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome kept him out all of 2020-21 and from Feb. 21-April 1, 2023, when he was dealing with the effects of long COVID-19. He stepped away from the NHL at the end of the 2022-23 season but never officially announced his retirement from hockey.
"There were times," he said, "when I simply could not get out of bed. I tried whatever showed up, figuring I'd give it a shot"
Cures were elusive until he pursued an Ayurvedic detox called Panchakarma, a wellness retreat in India "because nothing else worked." From the treatment, he was gradually able to regain the confidence and ability to resume his on-ice career.
He insists there's plenty left in the tank.
"I feel as if I've been drafted again," Toews told Jets coach Scott Arniel, who projects him as the second-line center behind Mark Scheifele.
"No question," Arniel said, "we got the best free agent."
