Ex-Blackhawk "Captain Serious" Jonathan Toews' Retiring from the NHL

After three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks, 1,149 games, and 16 seasons in the NHL, Jonathan Toews is hanging up his skates for good. 

The Winnipeg, MAN-born center who played 15 years of his career with the Blackhawks, and returned one last season to suit up for his hometown team, the Jets. 

Toews career has been a source of inspiration for many, as he's achieved the "unachievable" three times in the NHL career, with the help of head coach Joel Quenneville and forward Patrick Kane. 

Toews won a Stanley Cup in 2009-10, 2012-13, and 2014-15 and was part of the dynasty created in part by general manager Dale Tallon, and handled with care by Stan Bowman. 

The veteran NHL center announced his retirement in his hometown of Winnipeg at the Winnipeg Sportsplex with his namesake. 

The 38-year-old center gave an emotional response to the ending of his NHL career, which he worked so hard to return from the depths of chronic illness, dealing with both CIRS and Long Covid. 

"It's a privilege to be standing up here to say goodbye to the game of hockey and the NHL. There's a lot of great players out there that don't get this opportunity," Toews, 38, said at a news conference in Winnipeg, inside the sports complex named after him in the neighbourhood where he grew up.

His intent to suit up again in the NHL was announced in Dec, 2024 in a GQ article detailing the breadth of work done by seeking medical help outside of the United States and Canada to return to the ice. What he found in India worked.

There’s a part of me that really doesn't feel like my career is over yet, and who knows what this next part of the journey looks like, as far as getting back on the ice and trying to make a return to the NHL.

Toews would return to skating in March 2025 in preparation for his return to the NHL, and would sign a one-year, $2.0 million average annual deal with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1st, 2025. 

His legendary career consists of three-Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, and he's a member of the Triple Gold Club, He's a four-time NHL All-Star (2009, 2011, 2015, 2017), and has plenty of hardware to justify a trip to the hall of fame: a Conn Smythe Trophy (2010), Selke Trophy (2013), Mark Messier Leadership Award (2015), and with 912 points to his name (383 goals, and 529 assists).