TAKEAWAYS: 'I'll Always be a Blackhawk for the Rest of My Life'

In the final game of the 2022-23 season against the Philadelphia Flyers, Jonathan Toews took his final lap on the United Center ice as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The longtime captain described the emotions he felt hearing the loud cheers from Blackhawks fans throughout the night and one last time as he stepped off the ice into the locker room. After winning three Stanley Cups in his 16 seasons for Chicago, he knew that he and this team poured everything that they had during his time spent here to make the city and the fans proud.
"I'm blown away," Toews said. "I really felt that I'm just almost unworthy of a moment like that. I told the guys in the room after the game, that just goes to show, obviously it's more than a game out there when you're able to be part of some special years where you win Stanley Cups and provide a lot of special feelings for the fans."

In the final minutes of overtime, Toews created a breakaway moment to try and secure the game-winning goal to cap off the contest before being stopped by Flyers' netminder Felix Sandstrom. Despite not coming out with a win, the night still went perfect for him.
Following the sound of the final buzzer, he and his teammates gathered at center ice to thank fans one last time for their support throughout the season and recognized the captain on his career. While soaking in the final moments as he skated around the ice, he mentioned that is felt a little challenging to accept all the praises but tried to take in the moment as much as possible.

"I guess in my mind, it's a weird thing," Toews said. "It's almost hard to accept that love and that praise, so I try my best to just soak it in. It was pretty cool and overwhelming. I didn't expect that and really didn't know what to expect tonight."
In honor of his last game, Toews donated hundreds of tickets for tonight's game to our youth hockey community to help join in on the celebration.
As for head coach Luke Richardson, he didn't know what to expect this season coming into a team filled with mostly new faces, but leaned on the captain to provide some guidance as younger players began to come up.
While they only worked together for a season, Richardson is grateful for everything that Toews has done for him in their short time together and for making his job easier.
"He's definitely our team leader and he's been the leader here for a long time," Richardson said. "It was always fun to watch him play. I was always a fan, but to have a chance to work with him this year was absolutely amazing, and he definitely made my job easier on what I wanted to implement this year. He was all aboard right from day one and anything we needed; he was right there."

Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson announced on Thursday morning that Toews would skate in his final game with the organization against the Flyers during his end of season press conference. Although it was a difficult decision, Davidson expressed the gratitude from the Blackhawks on everything that Toews has done throughout his time in Chicago.
"He's done it all in a Blackhawks jersey and we can't thank him enough for everything he's done in the Blackhawks organization," Davidson said. "I think the city of Chicago will be forever indebted to him for the amazing ride that he took us on. Wherever he goes, and wherever he plays next, he'll be a Blackhawk forever."
While he admits it can be challenging to accept that things in life are always changing, he now realizes that hockey is more than just a game. As he continues to plan for the next steps in his career, he looks forward to watching where the team will go next and knows he'll always be a part of this organization.
"I guess in my mind hard to accept that sometimes life changes but at the same time it's exciting," Toews said. I'm really excited to see where this team goes in the future, and it will be fun to watch. I'll always be a Blackhawk for the rest of my life."