Longtime Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews announced his retirement after 16 NHL seasons.
“I have to say I’m satisfied; I’m fulfilled. I’m so thankful and grateful for the career I had,” said Toews. “But at this point it’s one thing to be healthy and to have the hunger. There’s no doubt in my mind that I have the skillset to continue to play at this level and be an offensive player the way I know I can. But it’s just come to the point where it’s taken such a toll, I’m just kind of ready to let the stress level go down.”
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The 38-year-old Toews was the third overall pick by the Blackhawks in the 2006 NHL Draft. He played his first 15 seasons in Chicago, leading the franchise to three Stanley Cups. He missed the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season after revealing he had been diagnosed with chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). He returned to the ice for the following two seasons before announcing in Feb. 2023 that he was still dealing with the effects of long COVID and CIRS.
That April, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson announced that Toews would not be re-signed. Later that summer, Toews revealed he would use the 2023-24 season to focus on his health. It wasn’t until March 2025 that Toews said he still wanted to play.
Last June, Toews signed with the Winnipeg Jets, his hometown team and the site of a lake that was named after him following the Blackhawks’ 2010 title.
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Toews retires as a three-time Stanley Cup champion, a four-time All-Star, and winner of the 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the player and the 2013 Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward, as well as a part of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players, which was announced in Jan. 2017.
Internationally, Toews represented Canada at the World Junior Championship, IIHF World Championship, Olympics, and World Cup of Hockey. He helped his country win back-to-back gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Juniors and 2010 and 2014 Olympics. He also helped Canada win the 2007 World Championships and 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Toews retires after scoring 383 goals and recording 912 points in 1,149 regular-season games. In the postseason, he recorded 45 goals and 119 points in 137 games.
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