Over the past two years, the Blackhawks have completely turned the page on the dynasty of the 2010s and shifted their focus to the future – one that probably didn’t include legendary captain Jonathan Toews. After suffering from symptoms of long COVID for much of the 2022-23 campaign, Toews came back for a few games in April of 2023, the final of which seemed like a farewell at the United Center.
Since leaving the ice, Toews has all but disappeared from the public spotlight. He doesn’t pop up much, if at all, in Chicago. While continuing to struggle with his health, Toews announced that he wasn’t retiring, but instead sitting out the 2023-24 season. We finally got an update back in November that he had traveled the world in an attempt to recover, and had spent several weeks in India undergoing Ayurveda, a detox that he said had him “trending.” Still, with Toews trying anything just to improve his day-to-day quality of life, it seemed like hockey couldn’t be further out of the picture.
On Sunday, however, GQ Magazine dropped an absolute bombshell of an interview with the 15-year veteran. The Blackhawks legend detailed his recovery process, but then dropped the most surprising comment we’ve seen all year.
“There’s a part of me that really doesn’t feel like my career is over yet, and who knows what this next part of the journey looks like, as far as getting back on the ice and trying to make a return to the NHL. There’s never any guarantees in life, but I’m going to give it my best shot.”
– Jonathan Toews
Does Toews belong in the NHL in 2025? Painfully, probably not. His last game action will have been multiple years prior, and it’s incredibly hard for players to come back from an absence that long. If he was to come back, it would be brutal to see him in a sweater other than the Blackhawks’, but it’s clear that he doesn’t fit with this current team. If Patrick Kane was shipped off for these players to develop their own leadership, there’s no chance they would ever bring the captain back, even if he was still an NHL-caliber skater.
While it likely won’t mean anything on the ice in Chicago, the fact that Toews hasn’t ruled out a return is huge news for one of the biggest figures in Chicago sports. It would be great to see him back on the ice in general, let alone in a Blackhawks sweater. And the fact that he isn’t ruling it out is proof that whatever he’s doing to get right in India is working. If he can get healthy and get out in public in Chicago more often, that’ll be enough for all Blackhawks fans.
