Toews to play final game for Blackhawks, remembered as 'a legend'

CHICAGO -- Jonathan Toews pondered the question when it was asked of him in December: In Chicago Blackhawks history, where did he think his legacy would rank?

"That's not really for me to decide," Toews said. "I'm thankful for all the success we've had. Any success that I've had as an individual has been in large part to guys like Patrick Kane] and [Patrick Sharp] and [Duncan Keith] and [Brent Seabrook] and [Niklas Hjalmarsson
Toews had been out since prior to the NHL All-Star break and announced Feb. 19 that he was stepping away from the Blackhawks to deal with symptoms of long COVID and Chronic Immune Response System (CIRS). Toews also missed the 2020-21 season with CIRS.
He practiced for the first time in two months March 28, and returned to the lineup for a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on April 1, his first game since Jan. 28. When Toews came onto the ice for warmups against New Jersey, he was greeted by a massive cheer from the home crowd.
"I'm just trying to focus and concentrate on the game, but there's no doubt you hear that when you step on the ice," Toews said after the game. "It felt good to get that coming back tonight. Unfortunately we couldn't find a way to win. Either way, it feels good to receive that from the fans and keep playing hard for them."
For opponents, facing Toews usually wasn't easy. Boston Bruins forward Charlie Coyle often went against him while playing for the Minnesota Wild from 2012-19, including Stanley Cup Playoff series in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Toews' 56.9 face-off winning percentage entering play Thursday is 10th in NHL history (minimum 5,000 face-offs) and second among active players behind Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (57.2 percent).
"Everyone knows what kind of player he is, but on face-offs, when I'm playing center against him, he's a tough guy to go against," Coyle said. "And he's just smart. The way he moves, too, he's slippery. You never know what he'll do. He can score, he can pass. He can kind of do it all. He's always a guy, when you face him so much, I was getting tired of facing him. Seems like we played them every year in the playoffs in Minnesota. And to have a guy like that up the middle of his caliber, the way he plays, he's such a threat, makes those around him that much better too."
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who played with Toews last season in Chicago before he was traded to the Wild, said Toews always will be synonymous with the Blackhawks.
"Being [with the Pittsburgh Penguins] a long time, we didn't see each other too much," Fleury said. "But watching the Cup runs, you'd see his face everywhere, right? He was always a huge part of it, and 'Kaner' as well.
"I was happy to come here and get a chance to play with him, get to know him as a person. Everybody knows 'Captain Serious,' right? But to me, he was great. Always wanted to do what was good for the team, would go out of his way to make sure everybody's good, the new guys coming in, the new guys, staff, he takes care of everybody, makes sure they're good. Obviously he's a competitor, right? It was fun in practice trying to stop him, chirp him a bit. He would give it back, so it was good. I appreciated that."
Toews' tenure with the Blackhawks will end Thursday. Will he play with another team next season? Will he retire? Toews has said he'll take time this offseason to think about his future. His legacy in Chicago, however, isn't in question.
"Words fail to adequately summarize everything that Jonathan's done for the organization, the amazing memories that he's provided," Davidson said. "He'll be a Blackhawk forever. He's going to forever be known as Chicago's captain. He's the longest tenured captain in Chicago sports history.
"He's one of the greatest players in team history of his generation and some of his milestones and his accomplishments will be extremely difficult to match. Over 1,000 games, almost 900 points, three Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe, Olympic gold medal. He's done it all and he's done it all in a Blackhawks jersey. We can't thank him enough for everything he's done. Wherever he goes and wherever he plays next, he'll be a Blackhawk forever."
NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report.