photo: Andre Ringuette/IIHF
Jonathan Toews, one of the greatest players of the 21st century, announced his retirement this afternoon after a 16-year NHL career and a spectacular international career that began in 2006. The 24th—and youngest—member of the IIHF’s prestigious Triple Gold Club, Toews won everywhere he played.
He first represented Canada at the 2006 World Junior Championship, winning gold while being the youngest player on the team. A year later, he helped Canada win gold again, except this time he was a vital part of the win. The semi-finals against the United States went to a shootout, and Toews famously scored three goals under pressure to take Canada to the gold-medal game.
Drafted 3rd overall by Chicago in 2006, Toews played two years at the University of North Dakota before turning pro. In his final year at UND, he not only won gold at the World Juniors, he played at the senior Men’s Worlds at season’s end, winning gold and becoming the first Canadian to win gold at those two events in the same year.
Toews made his NHL debut on October 10, 2007, scoring his first goal on his first shift and first shot. He never looked back. He had 24 goals as a rookie, the first of 12 straight seasons of at least 20. At the end of the year, the Hawks out of the playoffs, he played at the World Championship again, in Quebec during the IIHF’s centennial celebrations, and came one goal short of another gold, settling for silver.
Before the start of his second season, Toews was named captain of the Blackhawks, the second youngest player in NHL history to wear the “C” (after Sidney Crosby). Chicago made the playoffs the next nine years straight. His second year as captain was historic. In 2009-10, he played for Canada at the Olympics in Vancouver, leading the team in scoring and helping Canada win gold at home. In honour of the win, the Government of Manitoba named a lake after him. Indeed, anyone can visit Toews Lake to this day, which is situated 150km north of Flin Flon.
Later that year, he captained the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup win since 1961. He led the playoffs in assists and was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner. These wins put him into the Triple Gold Club, and at age 22 years, 41 days he remains the youngest player to join. He is also one of only nine players to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same season.
Toews helped Canada win gold again in 2014 in Sochi, but here’s the amazing thing. In the 2010 gold-medal game, he opened the scoring with a goal at 12:50 of the first period. In 2014, he again opened the scoring with a goal at 12:55 of the first. Toews also led the Hawks to a second Cup win in 2015, and a year later the glory continued. He was a key member of Canada’s victorious run at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Toews’s world came to a crashing halt in late 2020 when he was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). He missed the entire 2020-21 season, and when he came back, he was not the same. After struggling on ice and off for two years, he learned that he was suffering from long-covid symptoms, and for the next two years he didn’t play. Determined to continue his career, however, he fought successfully to return to the ice this past season, signing a one-year contract with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. He had a respectable season, but time and illness left him less than the player he had been during his greatest years.
Nicknamed “Captain Serious” by longtime teammate Patrick Kane, the 38-year-old Toews leaves the game with an extraordinary legacy that will certainly see him inducted into both the Hockey Halll of Fame in Toronto and the IIHF Hall of Fame. Yes, he scored big goals and assists, but it was his leadership and commitment to the game that set him apart. He will miss hockey, no doubt, but hockey will also miss him.
He first represented Canada at the 2006 World Junior Championship, winning gold while being the youngest player on the team. A year later, he helped Canada win gold again, except this time he was a vital part of the win. The semi-finals against the United States went to a shootout, and Toews famously scored three goals under pressure to take Canada to the gold-medal game.
Drafted 3rd overall by Chicago in 2006, Toews played two years at the University of North Dakota before turning pro. In his final year at UND, he not only won gold at the World Juniors, he played at the senior Men’s Worlds at season’s end, winning gold and becoming the first Canadian to win gold at those two events in the same year.
Toews made his NHL debut on October 10, 2007, scoring his first goal on his first shift and first shot. He never looked back. He had 24 goals as a rookie, the first of 12 straight seasons of at least 20. At the end of the year, the Hawks out of the playoffs, he played at the World Championship again, in Quebec during the IIHF’s centennial celebrations, and came one goal short of another gold, settling for silver.
Before the start of his second season, Toews was named captain of the Blackhawks, the second youngest player in NHL history to wear the “C” (after Sidney Crosby). Chicago made the playoffs the next nine years straight. His second year as captain was historic. In 2009-10, he played for Canada at the Olympics in Vancouver, leading the team in scoring and helping Canada win gold at home. In honour of the win, the Government of Manitoba named a lake after him. Indeed, anyone can visit Toews Lake to this day, which is situated 150km north of Flin Flon.
Later that year, he captained the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup win since 1961. He led the playoffs in assists and was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner. These wins put him into the Triple Gold Club, and at age 22 years, 41 days he remains the youngest player to join. He is also one of only nine players to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same season.
Toews helped Canada win gold again in 2014 in Sochi, but here’s the amazing thing. In the 2010 gold-medal game, he opened the scoring with a goal at 12:50 of the first period. In 2014, he again opened the scoring with a goal at 12:55 of the first. Toews also led the Hawks to a second Cup win in 2015, and a year later the glory continued. He was a key member of Canada’s victorious run at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Toews’s world came to a crashing halt in late 2020 when he was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). He missed the entire 2020-21 season, and when he came back, he was not the same. After struggling on ice and off for two years, he learned that he was suffering from long-covid symptoms, and for the next two years he didn’t play. Determined to continue his career, however, he fought successfully to return to the ice this past season, signing a one-year contract with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. He had a respectable season, but time and illness left him less than the player he had been during his greatest years.
Nicknamed “Captain Serious” by longtime teammate Patrick Kane, the 38-year-old Toews leaves the game with an extraordinary legacy that will certainly see him inducted into both the Hockey Halll of Fame in Toronto and the IIHF Hall of Fame. Yes, he scored big goals and assists, but it was his leadership and commitment to the game that set him apart. He will miss hockey, no doubt, but hockey will also miss him.