For the first time in his NHL career, former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is going to face his old team.
Jonathan Toews is one of the greatest players to ever suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks. He played the first 1067 games of his NHL career with the team that took him 3rd overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. In those games, he had 372 goals and 511 assists for 883 points.
Toews took his game to the next level once the playoffs started, which is why he has three Stanley Cups and one Conn Smythe Trophy. Combine that with his Messier Leadership Award and Selke Trophy, and you have a Hall of Fame resume.
Toews was named one of the NHL’s 100 greatest players during the league's centennial season. Alongside guys like Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, and Niklas Hjalmarsson, Toews was the captain of one of the greatest cores in NHL history.
After not playing a game since the finale of the 2023 campaign, Toews decided to return to NHL action. His return came with his hometown Winnipeg Jets, who the Blackhawks will battle on Thursday night. This will be the first time that Toews faces the team that drafted him.
It won’t have the same level of excitement as his return to the United Center, scheduled for January, but it will still be a special game for him.
Not many players on the current Blackhawks have ever played with Toews. Only Teuvo Teravainen, Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Sam Lafferty, Arvid Soderblom, and Alex Vlasic have been teammates with Toews in the past.
A lot of the young core were in their early youth when Toews was in his prime. That includes Connor Bedard, who was 4 years old when Jonathan Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010. He was just a 17-year-old playing for the Regina Pats and set to become the number one pick in the draft when Toews played his final game in Chicago.
Despite his age, Bedard knows the significance of the former Blackhawks captain playing against his former team.
“For him, it's going to be a cool game,” Bedard said. “Obviously, someone that means so much to the city, the fans, the organization, everyone here. For all of us, it's a guy we grew up watching. Someone the whole world is rooting for.”
Bedard brought up that the whole world is rooting for Toews. His story makes it easy, no matter who you root for. It took an incredible health journey, both physical and mental, to get back to this level.
Through 10 games with the Jets, Toews is second in the league with a 64.1 faceoff percentage. He has two goals and three assists for five points in those games played as well. He’s doing exactly what the Jets need him to do, which is be a reliable middle-six center.
Winnipeg has guys like Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele to lead the way offensively. For Toews, they just need a steady centerman who plays well in all three zones.
Toews said that he will be ready for this game, as he has prepared well for everything thrown his way since coming back to the NHL. He has a good mindset about everything, and that’s helping deliver success. Once the puck drops, you know it will be all business for Captain Serious.
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