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Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson talks 2026 NHL Draft options after the draft lottery
The Blackhawks won the fourth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft after the NHL Draft lottery. General manager Kyle Davison discussed the team's options in a press conference.
One of the greatest Chicago Blackhawks of all-time is calling it a career.
Jonathan Toews, captain of the Blackhawks' era that won three Stanley Cups, is retiring from the NHL. His 16-season career with a nuanced legacy comes to a close as one of the greatest NHL players of all-time and one of the best to ever don a Blackhawks sweater.
Jonathan Toews retires:
Toews announced his retirement from the NHL on Friday morning. According to David Pagnotta, Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Period, the Winnipeg Jets are calling a press conference Friday morning to officially announce Toews' retirement.
Toews did announce his retirement in a closed media event at the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex on Friday.
"It’s a privilege to be standing up here to say goodbye to the game of hockey and the NHL," Toews said.
Toews spent the last year with the Jets, officially returning to the NHL after a two-year hiatus and playing for his hometown team.
The backstory:
Toews was honored as one of the NHL's top 100 players of all-time in 2017. Most of that success came from his time in Chicago.
Toews will officially retire from the NHL having won three Stanley Cups. He played in 1,149 career games, recorded 912 points, dished 529 assists and scored 383 goals. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP in 2010 after the Blackhawks won their first Cup, becoming the youngest captain to win the Conn Smythe at 22 years and 41 days.
"Who knew that we'd lift not only one, but three Stanley Cups?" Toews said while announcing his retirement.
He won the 2013 Selke Award as the top defensive forward in the league. He was honored with the Messier Awards in 2015, recognizing him as a leader within the sport of hockey and society. Toews also won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada.
He took two years away from hockey as he recovered from separate diagnoses of Long Covid and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome, he told The Athletic in 2021.
Even when his numbers declined and the best years of his career were firmly in the past, Toews persevered through illness and age to play in the league for one more year.
"Sometimes it's happening so fast, you don't have time to stop and smell the roses," Toews said.
Local perspective:
The Blackhawks' dynasty began with Toews. Back in 2006, the 'Hawks selected Toews with the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft out of the University of North Dakota.
He made his NHL debut on Oct. 10, 2007. He would play 1,066 more games for the Blackhawks.
Toews was more affectionately known to Blackhawks fans by his nicknames "Captain Serious" or "Tazer." In an era where Toews competed against centers like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron, Henrik Sedin and Anže Kopitar, Toews played well enough to garner consideration as the best player in the league.
His legacy is complicated. That era of Blackhawk hockey is forever marred by the sexual assault scandal. Toews was famously the captain of that era. While it's still debated how much blame Toews deserves for knowing – or not knowing – about the sexual assault Kyle Beach endured by former video coach Brad Aldrich, there are damning allegations of homophobic bullying Beach endured during practices, too.
Toews was a captain then at the age of 22. His comments after the scandal broke were cold, and plenty understandably lost respect for him when he publicly supported former general manager Stan Bowman and former vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac after they were let go from the franchise.
"I have a lot of respect for them as people," Toews told reporters in 2021. "They’re good people. When it comes down to how they feel looking back on the situation, that’s not up to me to comment on."
"I don't wish to exonerate myself in any situation by saying I didn't know," Toews also told reporters in 2021. "But the truth is I hadn't heard about it until training camp the next year. That doesn't change what happened. It doesn't make it go away."
It will never change. It will never go away. That was one of the biggest failures by a franchise Chicago has seen.
He might not be seen as the ever-serious and unmitigated presence he was when the Blackhawks were winning Stanley Cups. He may never regain that presence again. The organizational failure can't all be placed at his feet.
What cannot be changed is how impactful Toews was to the Blackhawks on the ice. It's already etched into the record books how he resurrected the franchise. Some fans choose to remember the success he brought to the Blackhawks. This was evident in how Blackhawks fans gave Toews a four-minute standing ovation when he returned to the United Center for the first time on Jan. 24.
"Going back to Chicago for my first game back this year was shocking," Toews said. "It was a lot to take in and hard to receive."
To this day, Toews owns multiple Chicago franchise records. He has the most career overtime goals with 16. He has the most career shootout goals with 52 and tied Dennis Savard for the most playoff points in a single playoff run by a Blackhawk with 29. Toews was one of the faces of the franchise, next to Patrick Kane and leading others like Corey Crawford, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and more.
Toews was arguably the most important piece of the Blackhawks' dynasty. His career leaves behind a legacy, as nuanced as it is, that will eventually be in the Hall of Fame.
What they're saying:
"When Jonathan Toews arrived in Chicago, this franchise was still searching for its way back. We named him captain at just 20 years old. It was a lot to ask of anyone at that age, but he embraced the role with the seriousness it required. For the next 15 years, he was the heartbeat of the Blackhawks, restoring this proud franchise back to the top of the hockey world and giving a generation of fans a reason to fall in love with this team all over again.
He led by example, carrying the responsibility of captain with humility, integrity, and determination. He was as serious a competitor as any player this city has ever cheered for. He was never, ever, willing to be outworked and earned the respect of teammates, opponents, coaches and fans through the way he approached the game.
But his "Captain Serious" nickname only ever told half the story. He was seriously generous with his time and his resources in our local community, often when no cameras were rolling. He was seriously invested in the youth hockey players who looked up to him and seriously devoted to the fans who packed the United Center to see him play. He never took any of it for granted and treated this city's people like they mattered, because to him they always did and always will
While his playing career has come to a close, Jonathan's place in Blackhawks history - in hockey history - will be talked about for as long as this game is played," Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Rocky Wirtz said in a written statement.