Patrick Kane, Toews’ teammate here from 2007-23, expects Monday to be “incredible.” Kane would know; the forward returned to Chicago with the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 25, 2024, and scored on a breakaway in overtime for a 3-2 victory.

“I mean, you never really know what the reception’s going to be like and how it’s going to feel in the moment,” Kane said. “You can take guesses and kind of think about what it’s going to be like. I remember I did three or four different laps, and they were still cheering, and I’m sure it’ll be the same for him, maybe even more so, right?

“Obviously, he meant so much to the franchise and the teams that won, and just being the captain for so long (2008-23).”

There have been plenty of roster changes in Chicago since Toews’ departure. Of those remaining from his time here, defenseman Connor Murphy, who’s been with the Blackhawks since 2017, played the most with him. They remain good friends, and Murphy said Toews’ connection to the city is something special.

“He’s the one guy that, when I was out with him in public in Chicago, I’ve never seen such a reaction,” Murphy said. “It’s not just that people are fans. They’ll come up to him and give a heartfelt, ‘Thank you for making my life better’ sort of reaction.

“Some people you get the reaction, ‘Hey I’m a big fan, you’re a great player.’ With him, you can see he’s connected with people in the way of what he’s done for them, whether it’s in the community or his game or leadership-wise and what they’ve brought success to that it’s made people’s lives feel more fulfilled. It shows the impact hockey can have and a guy who lives up to the hype as an idol can make on people.”

Former forward Patrick Sharp, who played 10 seasons here with Toews and also won three Stanley Cup championships, is expecting Toews to experience a return similar to Kane’s.

“Because in all moments and the stories I have of Toews, the one that stands out the most is that every time there was a big game, if it was meaningful in the standings, meaningful playoff games, in the middle of a series, maybe just on [Hockey Night in Canada], whatever it was, Jonathan would always come through in the most clutch of times for us,” Sharp said. So, to see him play at the United Center, I know [the crowd] will stand and cheer for as long as Jonny will stand at center ice.

“I expect the Hawks to have a lot of cool videos to cue up to remind everyone of his greatness and yeah, I’m just sure he’ll do something at a clutch moment.”

Toews has moved on with his career, but the memories will certainly come flooding back on Monday.

“I think it’ll be a pretty cool moment for me,” he said. “Again, just being able to have a moment to kind of recognize what the game of hockey does for people in Chicago and what it meant for the city … you make a lot of sacrifices in your life and you kind of put a lot of things on the back burner, but the payoff is incredible to be able to be a part of championship teams that bring such an energy and inspiration to the city.

“I’m looking forward to going back there, playing that [game] and kind of reliving those moments.”

NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika and independent correspondent Dan Arritt contributed to this story