A former National Hockey League superstar is reportedly planning a comeback after a two-season absence.
Sources have confirmed to Sportsnet that Jonathan Toews, the former longtime captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, intends to return to the league next season.
The 37-year-old Toews` last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 campaign. He stepped away from the sport in August 2023, stating he needed “time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again”.
The Winnipeg native previously missed the entire 2020-21 season, which was impacted by the bubble format, due to recovery from COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome.
Following his departure from the NHL, Toews kept a low profile until November, when he revealed on Instagram he had completed an Ayurvedic Panchakarma detox treatment in India.
He later elaborated on the details of the detox in a GQ interview, mentioning practices such as painful massages, meditative yoga, and daily laxatives, among other treatments.
Now, he aims to revive a distinguished career already marked by three Stanley Cups and two Olympic gold medals.
Over 15 NHL seasons and 1,067 regular-season games, all spent with Chicago, Toews accumulated 372 goals and 511 assists, earning the nickname “Captain Serious” for his reliable performance and crucial contributions as a center.
In a December interview with GQ, Toews reflected, “`I’ve talked to a lot of the guys that are done, and a lot of them will say that desire to be on the ice competing and to be in the locker room with the guys never goes away. It’s just something that you have to accept when your time comes.`”
He added, “`So there’s that, but at the same time, I think there’s a big part of me that really wants to give it my all, to get back on the ice and see where it takes me.`”
Tristan Blackwood