Photo caption: Courtesy Blackhawks Twitter
In a recent announcement, the Chicago Blackhawks said three-time Stanley Cup winner and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will not return to the team next year. After nearly 16 seasons with the organization, the team will not re-sign Toews next season.
Toews played his final game on Thursday night, April 13, and scored his final goal in a Blackhawks uniform.
According to his bio, Toews was selected by the Blackhawks with the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the team in 2007–08 and was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.
The following season he was named team captain, becoming the second-youngest captain in NHL history (after Sidney Crosby) at the time.
He became the second-youngest captain in the history of the NHL to win the Stanley Cup, behind Sidney Crosby, who led the Pittsburgh Penguins to the championship the previous season. Toews scored seven goals and 29 points in the playoffs, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
By winning the Stanley Cup, he also became the youngest player, at 22 years of age, to become a member of the Triple Gold Club (Olympic gold, the Stanley Cup and World Championship).
Toews won the Stanley Cup in 2010, along with the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player in the playoffs. After winning the Cup, Toews passed Peter Forsberg as the youngest player to join the Triple Gold Club. He won the Stanley Cup again in 2013 and 2015.
Toews competes internationally for Team Canada and has won gold medals at the 2005 World U17 Hockey Challenge, 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships, 2007 World Championships, the 2010 Winter Olympics (a tournament in which he was named best forward) and the 2014 Winter Olympics.
In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. Toews will always be known as “Captain Serious” by the fans of the city of Chicago.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
