NEWSLETTER
When a lengthy interview with former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was published by GQ a couple days before the Winter Classic it got the attention of plenty of people. Not only because of the details he shared of his health journey, but because he left the door open to returning to the NHL.
On Thursday night, Frank Seravalli reported that not only is Toews sincere about a comeback, but he lists three interested teams: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets.
Toews clearly didn’t get to “go out” on his terms. His health derailed the last few years of his contract with the Blackhawks, for whom he was the longest tenured captain in the near century-long history of the organ-I-zation. And then the powers that be at 1901 W. Madison made the collective decision to move on from the dynasty era corporately.
If Toews does come back, it would be incredibly bittersweet for Blackhawks fans to watch him — like Patrick Kane — in another sweater. We believed for years that there would never be a 19 or 88 in anything but a Chicago Blackhawks jersey. But business changes. And now we might be looking at both of them playing elsewhere.
It was sad — and telling — that the NHL named the All-Quarter Century team for the Blackhawks at the Winter Classic and the only guys they could come up with to wave to the masses at Wrigley Field were Jocelyn Thibault and Brian Campbell. No signs of Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford, Niklas Hjalmarsson or Patrick Sharp.
I hope Toews does come back. I hope he gets to write the final chapter of his incredible NHL career.
- End Note: I will say… if Toews were to come back during this season and signs with Winnipeg…. (checks the Blackhawks’ schedule and circles the final home came of the 2024-25 regular season…)
