Perhaps the best news of the season for Blackhawks fans came Saturday when it was announced that captain Jonathan Toews would be in the starting lineup for that night’s game against the Devils.

The 34-year-old captain made his return to the United Center after missing the Blackhawks’ last 27 games, his last start coming on January 28th. In 14 minutes of ice time, Toews won eight of his 12 faceoffs and logged an assist to Andreas Athanasiou.

Blackhawks fans in the arena, many of whom didn’t expect to see Toews ever don the sweater again, were overjoyed at his return and roared their satisfaction.

Obstacles

Toews initially missed the entire 2021 season due to Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and eventually made it back for the start of this campaign. He fought off symptoms of long COVID for much of the season, but it eventually got the best of him and forced him off the ice. In his initial statement on his absence, he said that it had progressed to the point where he “had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy.”

Retirement Rumors

The situation had Chicago sports fans fearing that they had seen the last of Toews, and they wouldn’t get their chance to wish him farewell. It’s no secret that Toews’ retirement looms. While he hasn’t said anything concrete yet, he did mention last month that he was contemplating this season being his last:

“Regardless of what happens in the future this summer, it’s definitely on my mind that this could be my last few weeks here in Chicago as a Blackhawk.”

– Jonathan Toews

He mentioned Saturday that he pondered coming back this year, saying:

“It probably took me a couple of weeks of just wrestling with, in my own mind, trying to figure out what the right decision was, if I should keep trying to push through it… Or kind of pulling the plug in and trying to focus my energy on getting better.”

– Jonathan Toews

It isn’t as if he owes Chicago or its fans anything more. He’ll go down as one of the Blackhawks’ all-time greats, ranking seventh in career points and fifth in games played. He played a major role in bringing three Stanley Cups to the city, and will surely have his number 19 hung in the rafters. Nevertheless, he fought his way back into playing shape and should be getting his farewell tour over the Blackhawks’ final six games.

Farewell Tour

Luckily, it doesn’t seem as if we’ve seen the very last of Toews this year, either. He mentioned after the game that he was just “trying to get better every game for the rest of the year here.” Chicago has six games remaining on their slate, including two at home. He may get an even bigger ovation in the season finale on April 13th in the UC, especially if he announces his retirement beforehand.

The Blackhawks ended up losing Saturday night’s game 6-3, but the 18,778 fans in attendance didn’t seem to mind. They came to show their appreciation for their captain. Thus, despite the team’s eighth loss in a row, which matched their season-long, there was no shortage of smiles after the game around the arena. After all, it’s not every day you get to wish a franchise icon farewell.