Jets’ Jonathan Toews met with non-stop cheering in return to Chicago

Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews played his first game at the United Center since his return to the NHL, and to the surprise of no one, he was met with thunderous applause.

The Jets visited the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night, and during a commercial break, the Blackhawks honored their former captain with a video tribute. Toews then skated a lap on the ice for the fans, and the Chicago faithful cheered on their captain for three and a half minutes before they finally resumed the game.

The game was Toews’ first game in Chicago as a member of the opposing team, as he’s in his first season with the Jets after a two-year hiatus from the game to focus on his health. Toews was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season, with the Blackhawks looking to move on amidst a rebuild, and Toews’ health issues during the season caused him to take a step back from the game for two seasons before returning with his hometown team.

Toews was a member of the Blackhawks for 16 years, and the captain for 15. He established himself as one of the best Blackhawks of all time during his career there, as his 883 points (372 goals and 511 assists) in 1,067 games in Chicago are the sixth-most in franchise history. He also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the league in 2012-13.

Toews’ legacy in Chicago will be better known for the playoffs, where he helped lead the team to three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and had 119 points (45 goals and 74 assists) in 137 games, which was the fifth-most in franchise history. The highlight of those runs was his performance in the 2010 playoffs, where he had seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points in 22 games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

Toews’ time with the Jets hasn’t been quite at the level that he performed at in Chicago, as he has just seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 47 games. Should the 37 year old play out the full season, he’d tie his previous career-low for points in a season of 31, although that came in his injury-riddled final season with Blackhawks, where he only played 53 games.