Jonathan Toews made heartwarming gesture ahead of final game with Blackhawks
Before taking the ice for his final game with the Chicago Blackhawks, longtime captain Jonathan Toews made one last classy gesture, thanking the fans who'd supported him over 15 seasons.
Toews donated "hundreds" of tickets for Chicago's season finale against the Philadelphia Flyers to local youth hockey players so they could witness history live.
Fittingly, Toews lit the lamp in his final game wearing a Blackhawks sweater. At 7:40 of the second period, Toews redirected an Andreas Athanasiou pass by Flyers netminder Felix Sandstrom, recording his 15th goal of the year.
After the final buzzer, Toews tried to put the last 15 years into perspective.
"All good things come to an end. But you can definitely be very appreciative and grateful when you look back on those memories, especially those we shared on the ice together," Toews said, via NBC Sports Chicago. "It's pretty special to be out there and be able to soak that in and feel that love from the fans. Obviously, I'm out there trying to show them how much I appreciate what we've had all these years."
Earlier on Thursday, the news broke that the Blackhawks would be parting ways with Toews at the end of the regular season. He leaves the Blackhawks as a franchise legend. The third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, Toews led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups, earning a Conn Smythe Award and a Selke Trophy over his incredible run in Chicago.
Among the Blackhawks' all-time leaders, Toews ranks fifth in games played (1,067), sixth in goals (372), eighth in assists (511) and sixth in points (882).
While the future is uncertain for Toews, he recently returned to the ice after dealing with symptoms from chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID, which caused him to miss two months of action.
It's hard to envision Toews wearing a different crest on his jersey, but if he wants to continue his career, it will be elsewhere while the Blackhawks continue to rebuild.
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