Report: Toews says chapter is closed for comeback with Blackhawks
The Jonathan Toews era with the Chicago Blackhawks appears to be officially over.
admin
The Jonathan Toews era with the Chicago Blackhawks appears to be officially over.
Toews reaffirmed to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that he’s not retired and that he’s aiming at returning to the NHL ahead of next season.
But the former Blackhawks captain will not be returning to the team he helped win three Stanley Cups, now run by GM Kyle Davidson.
“I honestly do think that chapter is closed,” he said, according to The Athletic. “I respect what Kyle and the organization is doing. They decided a few years ago to move in a different direction and I’m all for that. … I don’t think that’s a fit for me anymore.
“I want to go somewhere and have a chance to be myself and play the game. I know my best hockey’s going to come through that way, instead of trying to be in that role where I’m still living with the pressure of our Cup-winning days. That era’s over.”
Toews missed the 2020-21 bubble season while recovering from COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome. He returned to play 124 more games in the following two seasons but announced in August 2023 that he was stepping away from hockey to give himself “the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again.”
-
-
NHL on Sportsnet
Livestream Hockey Night in Canada, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, out-of-market matchups, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft.
Now 36, Toews remained out of the spotlight until November, when he shared on Instagram that he had undergone an Ayurvedic Panchakarma detox in India. In the GQ interview, he discussed in depth the many layers of that detox, which included painful massages, meditative yoga and daily laxatives, among other treatments.
In the interview posted to The Athletic on Monday, Toews reiterated he’s not done quite yet, working out on a regular basis at a rink in Arizona.
“I’m not satisfied the way things ended in Chicago,” Toews told The Athletic. “It’s not about proving anything. It’s just that there’s something left in the tank and I want to explore that. I want to go have fun, have a blast, play with passion. But at the same time, I still have some high-level hockey left. I want to be able to step away from the game having said that I’ve given it my all. And I still think there’s something left to give.”
In his most recent season in the NHL, Toews scored 15 goals and recorded 16 assists in 53 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23.
“Everyone just assumed I was retired, but I think in my mind, I wasn’t too sure for a long time,” he said. “I just needed to not think about it, to just give myself time and space. … Now I’m really missing hockey, and I think that’s the biggest sign. I really miss the game and feel I have a whole different perspective and a new lease on things.”
