Jonathan Toews announced his retirement on June 19, closing the book on a return season with the Winnipeg Jets after years marked by health setbacks. The Blackhawks captain who won three Stanley Cups and multiple individual honors leaves at 38 with 15 NHL seas
For one more season, Jonathan Toews tried to reclaim the rhythm of the game. On Friday, June 19, the 38-year-old made it official: he’s retiring after his one-season comeback with the Winnipeg Jets.
The choice lands as more than a career ending. It comes after a homecoming that began in the 2025-26 season. when he joined his hometown Jets following two years away because of health issues. This time, he played through it. Toews appeared in all 82 games, finishing with 11 goals, 18 assists and 29 points—an entire schedule, not a partial chapter.
His final NHL numbers underline how unusual his run was in the first place. Over 15 seasons, the former Chicago Blackhawks captain compiled 372 goals, 511 assists and 883 points across 1,067 career regular-season games. Named captain at age 20. he earned the reputation that still sticks with fans: “Captain Serious. ” a leader who helped Chicago win Stanley Cup titles in 2010. 2013 and 2015.
At the retirement announcement at the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex in Winnipeg, he described how hard it is to let go of something that once felt impossible to touch.
“When (Patrick Kane) scored that (2010 overtime) goal. I think I was one of the last guys off the bench. ” Toews said. “I wasn’t ready to let go until I knew for sure that it was over. Next thing you know. you’re hoisting the Cup and you have it back home and in your living room and you’re just like. ‘How is this happening to me right now?’”.
The trophies weren’t just team milestones. Toews was a centerpiece. In 2010. he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after leading all postseason scorers with 29 points as the Blackhawks ended a 49-year championship drought. In 2012-13, during the lockout-shortened season, he captured the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward. That year, Chicago opened with a 24-game point streak and went on to win the Stanley Cup. During the 2015 Cup run, he recorded 21 points in 23 games.
When his NHL resume gets discussed, it often moves quickly to the question of what’s “complete” about an era. For Toews, the answer includes Canada’s international success. He won Olympic gold medals with Canada in 2010 and 2014, scoring in both championship games.
Back in Chicago, the last stretch of his career was shaped by health issues that forced detours. He missed the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season because of chronic immune response syndrome. He also sat out for two months in 2021-22 because of the effects of that and of long COVID. After playing in 2022-23, he skipped two seasons in order to get healthy.
Even after the comeback, the recognition didn’t stop. Following his return season, he was a finalist for the Masterton Trophy for perseverance.
He framed his retirement through the same lens—what the difficult years taught him, even when they didn’t go the way he hoped.
“Sometimes 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 learning experience I’ve been through. ” Toews said. “Ironically. I feel I’ve learned so much more about myself and about life through the low points than I ever did when my career was at its heights.”.
There’s a reason his name keeps resurfacing when people talk about legacy. The final record reads like a checklist—leadership, championship runs, elite awards, international gold. And for the practical question fans always ask—whether he’s a Hall of Famer—the answer is immediate: he was a captain of three Stanley Cup championship teams and won several individual awards. The Hall of Fame case also accounts for international play; he won two Olympic gold medals. and he’s a member of the triple gold club. having won a Stanley Cup. Olympics and world championships.
Now, after the Winnipeg season is over, the story closes with the same theme that followed him for years: the Cup was surreal, the health battles were real, and the decision to stop came after a return that showed he still had something left to give.
Jonathan Toews retirement Winnipeg Jets Chicago Blackhawks captain Stanley Cup 2010 2013 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy Selke Trophy Masterton Trophy finalist chronic immune response syndrome long COVID