CHICAGO \u2014 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 \u201cthank you\u201d repeatedly.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cO, Canada\u201d as the scoreboard zoomed in on him, and cheering throughout warmups.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt blew me away, obviously,\u201d Toews said after the Winnipeg Jets\u2019 2-0 loss. \u201cIt\u2019s a crazy moment to get that reception from the fans. Pretty special, something I\u2019ll remember forever. \u2026 (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.\u201d<\/p>\n
No commentary needed, the crowd’s reaction say it all \u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/svZOmFWbYp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL (@NHL) January 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It was Toews\u2019 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a weird situation,\u201d he said before the game. \u201cYou don\u2019t get games like this all the time, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he tends to do that,\u201d Toews said, laughing. \u201cSo I stopped comparing myself to him a long time ago. But yeah, it\u2019ll be cool.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019t be re-signed, but after two years away from the league because of chronic health conditions, he returned this season with his hometown Jets.<\/p>\n Through 47 games, he has seven goals and 11 assists, but he has been playing well lately, emerging as Winnipeg\u2019s No. 2 center at age 37. But in Chicago, he\u2019ll forever be a Blackhawk.<\/p>\n One of the greatest welcome back ovations I’ve ever seen. The Chicago crowd would not stop cheering for Jonathan Toews. Wow. #Blackhawks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/GGtOPlBySu<\/a><\/p>\n