Jets’ Jonathan Toews Announces Retirement

Winnipeg Jets’ forward Jonathan Toews has announced his retirement after a storied 16-season NHL career.

“It was a thrill, a dream come true, and even this moment feels quite surreal right now,” Toews said Friday morning from Winnipeg’s Jonathan Toews Sportsplex.

Toews Retires a Jet; Known as a Blackhawks Legend

Toews thanked his family and various executives, coaches, teammates, and fans who made an impact on him throughout his career at the invite-only event. True North Sports & Entertainment chairman Mark Chipman also delivered remarks.

The now-38-year-old returned to the NHL this season on a one-year deal with his hometown Jets after two years off due to long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. He played all 82 games in a mainly bottom-six role, posting 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points and a minus-20 rating and being named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream of pulling on that Jets sweater and playing in front of my hometown community, my family, my friends, all the people that supported me over the years,” he said. “It meant a lot to them and it meant a lot to me.”

Toews foreshadowed his retirement in his April exit interview, admitting he “struggled” with the speed of the game and “playing with energy every night,” adding later that he “wasn’t anywhere close” to meeting his own expectations.

Despite his final NHL season garnering mixed results, the 2006 third-overall pick enjoyed a fantastic career, captaining the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015) and recording 383 goals and 529 assists for 912 points in 1,149-career games. Known for his leadership abilities and knack for coming through in clutch moments, he earned the nickname “Captain Serious” and had 45 goals and 74 assists for 119 points in 137-career playoff games.

Toews also captured a variety of individual awards, including the Conn Smythe Trophy (2013), Frank. J Selke Trophy (2013), Mark Messier Leadership Award (2015), and four NHL All-Star nods (2009, 2011, 2015, 2017).

Internationally, Toews won two World Junior Championship gold medals (2006 and 2007), a World Championships gold (2007) and a World Cup of Hockey gold (2016).

“Sometimes I catch myself wishing that things had gone differently and I could have finished my career on a different note these last five years or so, but truth be told, I’m grateful for the struggle and the learning experiences I’ve been through,” he said. “Ironically, I feel like I’ve learned so much more about myself and about life through the low points than I ever did when my career was at its height.”