Jonathan Toews (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Jonathan Toews was an NHL captain at 20, an Olympic gold medalist at 21, a Stanley Cup champion at 22, and he was just getting started on a quest to overstuff his trophy case.
All that success came at a price, however, as the 2020s brought unexplained symptoms: lethargy, fatigue, aching, swelling, and a pervasive, nefarious malaise unbefitting of a superbly conditioned competitor like the former Chicago Blackhawks captain.
Toews earned a reputation as one of the most clutch players in hockey history, best exemplified by his series-shifting playoff performances and most saliently supported by three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, and too many other accolades to enumerate.
But a crucial shift spent on the bench in the 2020 bubble Stanley Cup Playoffs led, in part, to one season away from the ice. After returning for two campaigns, an inexplicably unlucky breakaway miss in the season finale against Philadelphia foretold two more years out of hockey.
His meticulous perfectionism and the heft of expectation caused Toews’ body to rebel against his circumstances. He developed a nebulous condition referred in an overarching manner as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, and one that was exacerbated by a nasty bout with COVID-19.
A Healing Journey
Literally exploring nooks and crannies of the earth, Toews embarked on a journey of physical and spiritual wellness that took him to Costa Rica, Bali, and beyond. Now, after about six years of dealing with his mysterious ailment, Toews is back on NHL ice with his hometown Winnipeg Jets.
“We all have our challenges. I look at some guys who deal with knee injuries where they miss an entire season. That affects you in a lot of ways too – mentally, emotionally, and physically,” Toews told RG Media in an exclusive interview. “There’s just different challenges for different people, and that was just what I had to go through, I guess.”
Toews, who went nose to nose with heavy hitters like Shea Weber and Dustin Brown, told GQ that healing hurt at times, too. Ayurvedic practices, a prominent lane of Eastern medicine, took him all the way to India, where there was every type of cleanse imaginable and excruciating massages elicited screams louder than any NHL’er getting driven into the boards.
But the pain produced enough gain to get Toews back on a path to living his dream at the very highest level that the game is played. While his journey took him to far corners of the globe, he learned the key to healing was within him all along, his enlightenment allowing him to return to the NHL grind.
“It’s a world away, and it’s been a long journey to get back,” Toews said. “Even when you just take a couple weeks off after the season, you’ve got to slowly build throughout the summer as you get ready for the season. Then camp is another level, then the season hits and it’s another level again, too.”
“You forget how challenging and how demanding it is, and how it’s a daily thing where you have to be going through the motions and be in the game and training and stay kind of molding yourself. That was challenging in its own right, but it was just a step in the process of getting back here.”
Toews is not alone as a star who returned after a long layoff. Guy LaFleur unretired after three seasons, while Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog and Pittsburgh Penguins great Mario Lemieux each missed stretches of commensurate length due to knee and back issues, respectively.
At the rapid rate that the game evolves, such absences can have the feel of a player cryogenically frozen that awakens in another era. Toews said that, in some ways, the pace at which the game changes made returning feel as though he’d never really left.
“In my last handful of years in Chicago, I felt like the league was changing so much every season. The league is so young and you’ve got to keep adapting your game and what makes you a good player, working on your strengths, too,” Toews said.
Toews had already caught up with former teammate Brent Seabrook, now in player development with the Calgary Flames, and faced his former club for the first time. Next up, he’ll see the coach under whom he won three Stanley Cups, Joel Quenneville, behind the Anaheim bench for the first time on Sunday. On New Year’s Eve, he’ll face his longtime partner in crime, Patrick Kane, as an opponent for the first time.
Embracing Opportunity to Come Home
“For me, I’m really proud to be able to keep things going and to have another shot at playing at this level,” Toews said. “It’s funny, I played my old team the other day, I’ll see Joel again this week. Things change, but I’m definitely thankful to be able to still play.”
A severance with the rebuilding Blackhawks made sense for all involved parties, opening the door for Toews to return to a contender in his native Winnipeg. He is the all-time leading goal-scorer among Winnipeggers.. One of Manitoba’s favorite sons – cut from the cloth of Andy Bathgate, Bobby Clarke, Dale Hawerchuk, and Terry Sawchuk – has embraced his homecoming.
“It’s been really special. For starters, I was really proud to get a chance to come home. I remember my first couple years in the league, I never thought a team would come back to Winnipeg, and sure enough, they did,” said Toews, who was just eight when the original iteration of the Jets departed for the desert of Arizona. “Now, to have a chance to play for that franchise, it’s pretty cool. It’s been really nice to be welcomed by this group of guys in the room, by the fans and by the city as well.”
Coach Scott Arniel said that Toews’ integration had been seamless, lauding both his ability to bolster the Jets’ center depth until captain Adam Lowry returned from hip surgery and the exuberance of a rejuvenated Toews.
The Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy last season and have rolled that success over into 2025-26. Yet neither the original nor contemporary version of the Jets have ever reached the Stanley Cup Final, with their 2018 trip to the conference finals being the only instance where they’ve advanced beyond the second round.
“It’s a tight-knit group with a real family feel around the organization, so it’s been fun to be a part of. I think there’s a lot of good ingredients and we’re starting to build chemistry,” Toews said.
Lowry was zeroing in on a contract extension, much like the long-term pact Kyle Connor already inked this season. Two years ago, franchise center Mark Scheifele and the most revered goalie on the planet, Connor Hellebuyck, also signed on for the long haul.
“Guys are committed to each other, and to winning. You see it with our captain and guys like Kyle Connor re-signing. Our main guys who are leading the team all want to be here and be a part of this team,” Toews said. “There’s a lot of good things going for us down the road. At this stage, we’re in a pretty good spot in the standings, but everyone’s pretty cognizant that we’re not super satisfied with the way we’ve played early on, and I think there’s a lot of potential.”
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