{"id":416491,"date":"2026-01-19T19:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T19:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/416491\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T19:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T19:49:12","slug":"toews-ready-for-emotional-return-to-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/416491\/","title":{"rendered":"Toews ready for emotional return to Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

His nickname might be \u201cCaptain Serious\u201d but even Jonathan Toews<\/a> is feeling a lot of emotions as he gets set to play at the United Center in Chicago for the first time since he was a member of the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a weird situation,\u201d said Toews after morning skate on Monday. \u201cAt the end of the day, you want to go out there and play well and you want to win the game, so you\u2019ve got to keep some level of focus and not get too distracted of all the things going on around you. But tonight, I\u2019ll definitely be excited, a lot of energy to play the game and just try and go out there and play my best.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jets are set to play the Blackhawks Monday night for the second time this season, the first coming back on Oct. 30 \u2013 a 6-3 Jets win in Winnipeg. As expected, the Blackhawks are planning a tribute video early in the first period.<\/p>\n

Watch Toews face his former team as the Jets battle the Blackhawks at 7:30 p.m. CT on TSN3.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you guys probably remember my last game here in Chicago, and again, you know, that was totally unexpected and kind of blindsided me,\u201d said Toews regarding the standing ovation he received in his last game as a Blackhawk. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure I\u2019ll get the same feeling tonight \u2013 not really sure how to receive that, but like I said, it\u2019s felt really good to come back here and see some old friends and feel that reception once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impact Toews had on the Blackhawks organization, and hockey in the city of Chicago, is immense. He\u2019s the former captain and a three-time Stanley Cup champion who became the face of the franchise.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely kind of through my teenage years watched a lot of the Hawks play with Johnny and all the stars that they had there through their cup runs and wins,\u201d said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey<\/a> following the Jets\u2019 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, for me, I have plenty of memories of watching, and I can only imagine for him, being the captain there for so long and hoisting the three cups, what he meant to that city and organization. Yeah, it\u2019s going to be special.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1,067 games played for the Blackhawks, Toews had 372 goals and 511 assists, totalling 883 points. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010 and Selke Trophy in 2013.<\/p>\n

But after Toews\u2019 latest triumph \u2013 a return to hockey after over two years away from the game due to health reasons \u2013 the 37-year-old continues to create impact, now within the Jets organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been really good for me,\u201d said forward Cole Perfetti<\/a> following the Jets\u2019 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils<\/a> on Jan. 11. \u201cMindset-wise, I sometimes dwell on things and replay things in my head or let it get to me. And he\u2019s really good at just moving on to the next shift, the next day, the next game, whatever it is. And it\u2019s starting to wear off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toews has admitted to being hard on himself earlier in his career \u2013 something he\u2019s worked on. It\u2019s something 24-year-old Perfetti has started to pick up from his veteran teammate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go out there on the ice and you don\u2019t like your last shift, or you get scored on, or you miss an empty net or whatever the case may be, just kind of erasing it from your mind and moving on to the next shift,\u201d added Perfetti. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy how good he is at that and just moving forward. It\u2019s been really good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no question Toews has had to lean on his own advice this season. There were times he didn\u2019t know if he was ever going to play in the National Hockey League again, let alone play at the level he expects of himself.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken a few months for him to get his game going but coming out of the holiday break he\u2019s taken things up a notch. In 12 games since the break, Toews has four goals and five assists. Not to mention he\u2019s second in the league in faceoff percentage at 62.4 per cent.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s really playing his game, 900 points, that\u2019s obviously amazing,\u201d said Jets head coach Scott Arniel<\/a> following a 6-2 win against Minnesota on Jan. 15. \u201cHe\u2019s feeling it, which is awesome. Let\u2019s just hope he feels it right through to the end of the season. It took him a while to find his legs, to find his place and his game. Now you see it and he\u2019s getting the reward from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toews hit 900 career points in that win, yet another milestone in an already incredible career. It\u2019s not the milestones that are impressing players around the league though, it\u2019s the resilience and ability to return to the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fortitude and desire to find his way back \u2013 obviously going through some health and personal things \u2013 speaks a lot to his character and I think that is a massive part of who he is and why he\u2019s had so much success in the NHL and internationally,\u201d said Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> forward John Tavares<\/a>. \u201cObviously a lot of respect for him. Had the opportunity to play together a couple of times internationally, so it\u2019s always going to be a battle and he always brings his best.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s incredible in the faceoff circle, extremely competitive, has an unbelievably high desire and will to win and compete. So that\u2019s always a test and those challenges are what make the league great \u2013 the opportunity to play against players like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the meaning of Monday\u2019s matchup, the reality is the Jets still sit seven points out of a wild-card spot. The two points are what matter most, even if there will be some extra motivation against the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a teammate, you\u2019re excited for him,\u201d said Morrissey. \u201cAnd obviously, not just where we\u2019re at in the standings, but for him as well, we want to go in and obviously find a way to get two points.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a legend there. You win three cups and captain three Stanley Cup teams and play the way he has. I\u2019m sure his number will be in those rafters one day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"His nickname might be \u201cCaptain Serious\u201d but even Jonathan Toews is feeling a lot of emotions as he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5121],"tags":[4759,32837,52130,5,78,35887,4,77,18,32441,5288],"class_list":{"0":"post-416491","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-winnipeg-jets","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-chicago-blackhawks-sports-hockey-team-team-nhl-api-16","10":"tag-cole-perfetti-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8482149","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-jets","13":"tag-jonathan-toews-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8473604","14":"tag-nhl","15":"tag-winnipeg","16":"tag-winnipeg-jets","17":"tag-winnipeg-jets-sports-hockey-team-team-nhl-api-52","18":"tag-winnipegjets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115923502209250064","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}