Toews calls time with Blackhawks ‘dream come true’ in NHL farewell

Jonathan Toews grew up in Winnipeg and finished his NHL career with his hometown Jets, the forward announcing his retirement at the sportsplex bearing his name there on Friday.

But it was the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he played all but one season of his NHL career, who were first and foremost in his thoughts and in his retirement speech.

Understandably so. It’s where Toews’ career began, where he was captain from 2008-23 and where he helped bring the Blackhawks back to prominence and win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

“I look back on my time in Chicago and it all kind of went by in the blink of an eye, but I realize how special that time was and how lucky I was when I got drafted there. It was definitely incredible and a dream come true,” Toews said. “You realize you have to be lucky in life for the things to go the way they did.”

The No. 3 pick by the Blackhawks in the 2006 NHL Draft, Toews had 883 points (372 goals, 511 assists) in 1,067 career games with them. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2010 when he had 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 22 games. He also won the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the League’s best defensive forward, in 2012-13.

“He was the ultimate leader, right up from the day he stepped into the organization,” former Blackhawks forward and Toews’ teammate Patrick Sharp said. “You could tell he had those leadership qualities and a certain presence about him that led us right away. I just always thought of him as this invincible hockey player who was going to play forever. He was pretty good at the height of his career, and he did a lot for this group.

“Then I think of Jonathan as the person, the friend and teammate outside of hockey and I’m happy he’s able to retire on his own terms. It’s really just an incredible career that should be celebrated.”

Toews was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017 as part of the League's Centennial celebration. He also won Olympic gold twice with Team Canada, in 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi.

“I mean, the leadership, the consistency being here from Day 1, seeing every ride of the rollercoaster and being a captain at such a young age,” TNT analyst Eddie Olczyk said. “In order to win you need talent, but you need a lot of character and Johnny certainly checks every box.”

Olczyk was there from the beginning with Toews as color analyst for Blackhawks broadcasts from 2006-22.

“I know hockey fans will celebrate Johnny and rightfully so,” Olczyk said. “It won’t be too long before there’s a special night for him at the (United Center), as the ‘Hawks always do, to honor him and acknowledge him for representing the team and the city and former Blackhawk players like myself.”

Toews thanked those affiliated with the Blackhawks when he was there, including late owner Rocky Wirtz, his son, current owner Danny Wirtz, former general manager Dale Tallon and former coaches Denis Savard and Joel Quenneville.

As he did so, he had to pause. “Captain Serious,” was struggling to hold in emotions.

Toews was also feeling those emotions on Jan. 19, when he played his first game at United Center in a Jets uniform. It didn’t matter that he had said his on-ice goodbye in his final game with the Blackhawks on April 13, 2023, against the Philadelphia Flyers. His return this season led to a standing ovation that lasted more than three minutes.

“Going back to Chicago for my first game back this year was definitely, it was shocking. It was a lot to take in and hard to receive almost, just the love of the fans from that game. I got to kind of skate around and take it all in,” Toews said. “It was a great reminder of just how special those years were. It’s so cool to see what winning championships meant in that city. It just reminds me all the time that hockey’s not just a game. It means a lot to people.”

At the end of the 2022-23 season, the Blackhawks chose not to re-sign Toews, who was limited to 124 games from the start of the 2020-21 season to the end of the 2022-23 season. He missed the entire 2020-21 season because of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, and was out from Feb. 21-April 1, 2023, when he was dealing with the effects of long COVID-19.

Toews became an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2023, and after two seasons away from the game because of health issues, he signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Jets. He had 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 82 games.

“Now, I can only imagine how the city of Chicago and the Blackhawks will want to acknowledge your remarkable career,” said Mark Chipman, executive chairman of True North Sports & Entertainment and the Jets. “Obviously, I can’t speak for them, but it’s pretty easy for me to envision a statue at the United Center someday soon.”

Yes, that’ll probably happen. It’s also likely his number is retired by the Blackhawks, and he’s elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Toews made a big impact on hockey, especially in Chicago.

“If someone told me when I was getting drafted that we would be standing here today and this is how my career would go out, I would have signed up for that 100 times over,” Toews said. “I would have loved to have played longer and maybe hit a few personal milestones but at the end of the day I’m thankful for the team success I was able to be a part of. Obviously, that means the world to me.”