Toews retires after three Stanley Cups

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Jonathan Toews announced his retirement Friday, ending a decorated NHL career that included three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, and a comeback season with his hometown Winnipeg Jets.

The 38-year-old center returned to the NHL in 2025-26 after a two-year absence related to chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID, recording 11 goals and 18 assists while appearing in all 82 games for Winnipeg. 'I have to say I'm satisfied; I'm fulfilled.

I'm so thankful and grateful for the career I had,' Toews said at Friday's announcement in Winnipeg. Toews spent 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, captaining the franchise to Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013, and 2015 while winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2010.

The Blackhawks congratulated Toews on his 'remarkable career' in a social media post on X, calling their longtime captain the 'heartbeat' of the team during his time in Chicago. He finished his NHL career with 383 goals and 529 assists in 1,149 regular-season games and was recognized as one of the league's premier two-way forwards.

Patrick Kane, who played 15 seasons alongside Toews with the Blackhawks, said in a social media post on X that he 'could not have asked for a better teammate' during their time together in Chicago. Toews also starred for Canada on the international stage, winning Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, the World Cup in 2016, a world championship in 2007, and consecutive world junior titles in 2006 and 2007.

His final season allowed one of Manitoba's most accomplished hockey players to complete a full-circle return home before stepping away from the game. 'I'm not gonna lie, you visualize the dream of coming home and winning a playoff series and going on a run and winning a Stanley Cup and playing the hero and all those things, and when things go sideways a little bit, it was heartbreaking,' Toews added. 'It's just a kind of intuitive feel that it's the right time, and like I said, I'm happy I gave it another shot, regardless of how things went this year.' Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.