PUBLICATION
Sam Walker
January 19, 2026Â Â (9:37 PM)
Photo credit: Screenshot
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong sparked a Blackhawks roar at the United Center on Monday.
Chicago was already on edge after the Bears got eliminated on Sunday, a 20 to 17 overtime gut punch against the Rams. The city walked into the rink carrying that one on its shoulders.
Then Jonathan Toews showed up in Winnipeg Jets colors, and the place snapped into a different kind of loud.
In what seemed like one TV break later, the in-house cameras landed on Williams and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the vibe flipped again.
It turned into a long standing ovation, and the two leaned into it instead of acting cool.
Caleb Williams, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Jonathan Toews fuel United Center ovations
As a fan, I loved how Chicago can mourn on Sunday and then belt out hope on Monday without apologizing for either.
As soon as the cameras stayed on them, Williams and Crow-Armstrong both did the «brrr» shiver motion, a nod to Williams’ «Iceman» tag that’s been following him since his snowy, late-game heroics this season.
Crow-Armstrong is only 23, and he just put up a 31-homer, 35-steal, 95-RBI season for the Cubs, the kind of stat line that makes a sports town feel young again.
And Toews is still the standard for this building, with 1,114 NHL games and 901 points, plus three Stanley Cups that taught Chicago what «real noise» sounds like.
Seeing him back in town, even as the opponent, hit that nerve on purpose.
The Blackhawks are still trying to climb back, but Monday felt like a reminder that the United Center doesn’t need much to light up. Give this city a moment it believes in, and it will stand up together.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider