CHICAGO — About halfway through the ovation, as it crescendoed for the third or fourth time, Jonathan Toews just gave in. Captain Serious started laughing, went out for yet another lap and started egging on the fans like a pro wrestler. He waved, he blew kisses, he patted his heart, he mouthed “thank you” repeatedly.

For more than three minutes during the first media timeout Monday night, a packed house at the United Center sustained a roar that rivaled any of the big moments Toews helped create in the building over 15 memorable seasons. This after screaming their way through a two-minute tribute video, roaring during the singing of “O, Canada” as the scoreboard zoomed in on him, and cheering throughout warmups.

“It blew me away, obviously,” Toews said after the Winnipeg Jets’ 2-0 loss. “It’s a crazy moment to get that reception from the fans. Pretty special, something I’ll remember forever. … (The ovation) felt like forever. Not sure what to do after a while in that situation. Boys kept telling me to go do another lap.”

No commentary needed, the crowd’s reaction say it all ❤️ pic.twitter.com/svZOmFWbYp

— NHL (@NHL) January 20, 2026

It was Toews’ first game at the United Center as a visitor, the familiar face and familiar gait in the unfamiliar blue and white of the Winnipeg Jets.

A picture of him lifting the Stanley Cup in 2015 is the first thing you see inside the home dressing room, but on this day, he had to use the visitors room, something he had to do only a handful of times in training camps from long ago.

“It’s a weird situation,” he said before the game. “You don’t get games like this all the time, obviously.”

Toews remembered the love-fest Patrick Kane received when he first returned to Chicago as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Kane raised the bar pretty high, though, scoring the game winner in overtime.

“Yeah, he tends to do that,” Toews said, laughing. “So I stopped comparing myself to him a long time ago. But yeah, it’ll be cool.”

The No. 3 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, Toews was named captain of the Blackhawks in just his second season. He went on to win championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015, earning a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010 and a Selke Trophy in 2013 while establishing himself as one of the game’s great captains and consummate leaders. He got a grand send-off in the season finale of the 2022-23 season after abruptly being told he wouldn’t be re-signed, but after two years away from the league because of chronic health conditions, he returned this season with his hometown Jets.

Through 47 games, he has seven goals and 11 assists, but he has been playing well lately, emerging as Winnipeg’s No. 2 center at age 37. But in Chicago, he’ll forever be a Blackhawk.

One of the greatest welcome back ovations I’ve ever seen. The Chicago crowd would not stop cheering for Jonathan Toews. Wow. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/GGtOPlBySu

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 20, 2026

“I’m just super thankful, really grateful,” he said. “The beauty of our game is it’s so team-oriented, and I’m always trying to be cognizant of the fact I was thrown into a really incredible opportunity. I’ll give myself credit; I definitely had a lot of will, a lot of energy coming into my career as a young kid here in Chicago, but it was just a perfect storm. We had so many great players that were finding themselves and finding their careers — finding their careers at the same time. Even the trajectory of where the organization was at the time, there was no pressure, really. Given the situation right now with the young players, it’s completely different than it was back then.

“I always love the story of (Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook) talking about how they were handing out free tickets at the train stations in their jerseys and no one knew who they were. Stuff like that. I went to play in the World Championship after my last year in college, and all the guys there were always like, ‘Chicago is such a great sports city. Once the team gets going, it’s going to be a great place to play.’ Sure enough, that really came true within a couple years of being here. All the things lining up and being able to take advantage of those opportunities was all pretty special.”

Both Toews’ teammates and opponents spent much of the ovation tapping their sticks on the boards.

“What a ‘thank you,’” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “I thought it was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest with you, and I’ve seen some pretty cool moments. One of those moments you feel lucky to be a part of.”