Posted June 19, 2026 9:32 am
2 min read
Jonathan Toews spent his last season with the Winnipeg Jets.
Global News
I’m not sure if it’s ironic or just coincidence, but it’s been 20 years since Jordan Staal and Jonathan Toews were forever linked as professional hockey players. You see, just days under 20 years ago, Staal was drafted second overall by Pittsburgh, and Toews was next, third by the Chicago Blackhawks. And here we are, two decades later, the two forwards making news again.
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Both amazing players, both captains, and one, Staal, hoisting the Stanley Cup for the Carolina Hurricanes and the other, Toews, telling the world he has completed his journey as a professional hockey player. Both players have been tremendous ambassadors for the game.
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And while Staal celebrates in Raleigh with the Cup, Winnipeg and native son Jonathan Toews celebrate a career few men could ever dream of, let alone accomplish. Our first glimpse of greatness was the shootout in the 2007 world junior hockey championship. There are the three Stanley Cups, the two Olympic gold medals and honours as being the best forward in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, as well as a Stanley Cup playoff MVP. Truly a Hall of Fame career.
The man who drafted Toews for the Blackhawks was Dale Tallon. On Thursday, he was succinct in telling me why he drafted Toews: “Great character and determination to go along with excellent hockey sense.”
He carried those traits for 1,149 NHL games. His 912 points indicated how prolific he could be as an NHLer. And let’s not ignore that he played his best games on the biggest stages. His 45 goals and 74 assists in 139 playoff games demonstrate that.
We saw glimpses of his greatness last season for the Winnipeg Jets , particularly in the faceoff circle and as a leader, but I think that, as proud as he was to play his last season for his hometown team — he would be the first to tell everyone — it was hard to come back after two years away from the game. That does not diminish any of the goodwill, the pride, the honour Toews and this team shared when he skated in Jets colours in all 82 games.
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And while it is inevitable that his No. 19 will hang from the rafters at United Center in Chicago, there will always be knowledge that he finished his career on his terms, with the Jets. He will always be Winnipeg’s Jonathan Toews.
That is the true definition of closure.
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