Jonathan Toews is calling it a career.
The Winnipeg Jets forward announced at a news conference Friday that he is hanging up the skates and ending his 16-year NHL career.
“I think I realize it’s a privilege to be standing up here to say goodbye to the game of hockey in the NHL. I think there’s a lot of great players out there that don’t get this opportunity,” Toews said during his retirement ceremony Friday.
Toews, who grew up in the St. Vital area, led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships and also played a key role in a pair of Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
He thanked everyone in the Blackhawks organization, from ownership to coaching staff as well as former teammates, for helping him find the level of success that he did with the team.
“I look back on my time in Chicago, it all kind of went by in the blink of an eye. I realize how special that time was and how lucky I was when I got drafted there,” he said.
“Going back to Chicago for my first game back this year was definitely, it was shocking. I mean, it was a lot to take in and hard to receive almost just the love from the fans in that game and I got to kind of skate around and take it all in. Just was a great reminder of just how special those years were and so cool to see what winning championships meant in that city.”
Toews returned to the NHL in 2025-26 after a two-season hiatus due to health-related issues and signed a one-year contract with his hometown club.
He played in all 82 games last season, tallying 11 goals and 18 assists.
He was named a finalist for the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
“Pulling on that Jets sweater and playing in front of my hometown community, my family, my friends, all the people that supported me over the years—it meant a lot to them, it means a lot to me,” said Toews.
He thanked his Jets teammates for welcoming him into the dressing room and so quickly making him a part of the team.
“Even though I feel like I struggled on the ice and didn’t quite contribute the way I wanted to at times this year, you guys made me feel part of the group right away.”
Toews touched on his health struggles over the past couple of years, which led to him taking a break from the NHL. He said it has been extremely difficult for him at times to come to terms with how it ended.
“I catch myself wishing that things had gone differently and I could have finished my career on a different note these last five years or so, but truth be told, I’m grateful for the struggle and the learning experiences I’ve been through. Ironically, I feel like I learned so much more about myself and about life through the low points than I ever did when my career was at its height.”
Toews also thanked his friends and family for helping shape who he was as a person both on and off the ice.
Over his career, Toews tallied 383 goals and 529 assists, as well as another 45 goals and 74 assists in the playoffs.
He was named the youngest captain in Blackhawks history at just 20 years old.
Along with his Stanley Cups, Toews collected the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2010, the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in 2013 and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2015.
He was also awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2015.
Mark Chipman, executive chairman of the Jets, spoke Friday, saying the city is so lucky to be able to have someone like Toews represent it at the highest level of the hockey world.
“I know I can say on behalf of all of the hockey fans of this community how immensely proud you have made us from the moment you started your NHL career,” said Chipman.
“I think the fact that we’re celebrating your career in your hometown and in this community centre that has your name on the front of it is the best evidence of that.”
Chipman noted the game of hockey was better because Jonathan Toews was in it, and he was a player so many others could look up to for his leadership ability.
“The best part of our game is its people, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting many of the best who reach the highest intersection of ability and character, but there are only a few about whom you can say they made the game better. Jonathan, you made the game better because you made everyone around you better, and it took it to another level. The game is going to miss you, and we’re all going to miss watching you play.”
