Jonathan Toews says goodbye Chicago Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews bid farewell to the Chicago Blackhawks in his last game on Thursday, ending a remarkable 15-season stint that saw the team win three Stanley Cup championships. Toews played his final game against the Philadelphia Flyers and was showered with cheers throughout the night, even though the Blackhawks lost 5-4. The center has been with the team since he was drafted with the No. 3 pick in the 2006 draft, and he was the 34th captain in team history by the time he was 20 years old in 2008.

The 35-year-old missed most of this season due to symptoms related to long COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome, and he also sat out the 2020-21 season for the same reason. Despite being a free agent, Toews has not ruled out retiring with the Blackhawks. He scored his 15th goal of the season in his last game with the team and has a career total of 372 goals and 511 assists in 1,067 regular-season games, all with the Blackhawks.

General manager Kyle Davidson announced that the Blackhawks would not be re-signing Toews, but the team and fans alike will forever appreciate what he brought to the franchise. Davidson stated that the Blackhawks’ goal was to create space for young players to take on leadership roles, just like Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook did when they joined the team.

Toews played a critical role in Chicago’s success, as he was part of a core group that led the Blackhawks to the best stretch in franchise history. In addition to the three Stanley Cup wins, the team also made it to the Western Conference finals in 2014, where they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in a seven-game series. Toews was known as “Captain Serious,” but his reputation faded as he showed more of his personality over the years.

Toews scored his final goal for the Blackhawks against the Flyers, who were the same team that he faced in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, which the Blackhawks won for the first time in 49 years. The fans’ cheers were deafening when Toews was introduced with the starting lineup, and the stadium erupted when he scored his power-play goal in the second period.

Toews was grateful for the fans’ love and support throughout his career with the Blackhawks, and he stated that he has nothing but love and gratitude for the team. The Blackhawks may have fallen on hard times recently, but Toews’ legacy will never be forgotten, and his contributions to the team will always be remembered.