It was no ordinary warmup for Jonathan Toews.
Fans lined the glass with signs showing their appreciation, such as “FOREVER OUR CAPTAIN #19.”
Toews threw a puck or two to fans, and teammate MacKenzie Entwistle playfully “boarded” him when he was wasn’t expecting it.
Toews received raucous ovation when he was last off the ice after warmups and again when he darted out of the tunnel minutes before puck drop.
But the United Center really let him hear it when his name was called during starting lineups, and players from both the Hawks and Philadelphia Flyers gave him a stick-tap salute.
There was an air of sentimentality. And finality.
Whether Toews chooses to retire this offseason remains unknown, but heading into Thursday’s season finale one thing was settled: He won’t play again in Chicago.
“Tonight will be the final game in a Blackhawks jersey for Jonathan Toews because we will not be re-signing him in the summer,” general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters during a Thursday morning news conference at Fifth Third Arena.
Weightier words have rarely been spoken from a Hawks front-office boss.
Toews has been one of the faces of the franchise since he was drafted with the third pick in 2006. He was named captain in 2008.
Along with Patrick Kane — the No. 1 pick in 2007 — Toews led the Hawks to Stanley Cup championships in 2010, ‘13 and ‘15.
Now, with Kane a New York Ranger, the Hawks will mount a campaign without either of them for the first time in 15 years.
“Words fail to adequately summarize everything that Jonathan’s done for the organization, the amazing memories that he’s provided. He’ll be a Blackhawk forever,” Davidson said. “He’s going to forever be known as Chicago’s captain.
“He’s one of the greatest players in team history of his generation, and some of his milestones and his accomplishments will be extremely difficult to match. Over 1,000 games, almost 900 points, three Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe, Olympic gold medal. He’s done it all and he’s done it all in a Blackhawks jersey.
“We can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done.”
Toews was on the ice for puck drop along with linemates Tyler Johnson and Jason Dickinson.
“It’s going to be a big night, it’s going to be lots of emotions,” coach Luke Richardson said. “(But) hopefully it’s a lot of excitement and joy and a lot of appreciation for what Jonathan’s brought to — not just the organization but the city for a long time, and hopefully a long time to come in different ways.”
Ask how much he planned to play Toews, Richardson joked: “As much as possible.”
Toews scored a second-period power-play goal on a redirect off Andreas Athanasiou’s shot. It was Toews’ 15th of the season. Moments later, fans chanted “Johnny! Johnny!” He had a chance to win it on a breakaway in overtime but barely missed. The Flyers then won it 5-4.
”I’m blown away,” Toews said of the fanfare after the game. “I really felt almost unworthy of a moment like that.”
Asked about whether he would retired, Toews said: ”It’s something I’ll just let myself sink into with my family. The thought of playing for another team right now is so far in the back of my mind, especially after that moment (Thursday night). I always thought I’d retire a Blackhawk and part of me still believes in that, so we’ll see.”
Davidson said he informed Toews about the decision Saturday, when the Hawks were in Seattle to face the Kraken.
“I can only speak from my side, but it’s incredibly difficult. I feel like every time we’ve (made) a transaction the last little while, it’s me talking about how hard it is,” Davidson said, alluding to trading Kane before the deadline in March.
“But it’s true. It’s incredibly hard. Jonathan and I are the same age, and I watched his progression … (back to) World Juniors. To take that step and have that conversation was not easy because of all he’s done and the status that he holds. We look forward to watching what he does next and where he might go next.”
Richardson said Davidson gave him a heads up earlier that trip and invited him to join the conversation with Toews in Seattle.
“I’ve gone through it as a player,” Richardson, a defenseman for 21 years, said. “I’m not a three-time Stanley Cup champion, captain for the same team for 16 years. But it’s always hard at the end. There’s hardly any walk off into the sunset smiling. It’s never on your terms.
“So for someone to have it on your terms it’s a special thing. It might not be (the end of) his career, but it’s the end here. (He’ll) have it finish how he wants.”
Richardson said he gave Toews “my two cents” and said he’ll be available in the offseason if Toews needs a sounding board about his future.
“It’s never easy,” Richardson said. “You want to go on forever, but unfortunately and especially in high-level sports your bodies only last so long. That’s the true nature of the beast. To come to grips with that, it’s going to be tough.
“And Jonathan said it himself: How can you not be happy with the storybook career that he’s had here?”
Toews was scheduled to address the media after thegame.
Toews did speak to Hawks in-game presenter Genna Rose for the team-produced “Inside the Room” video vignette. He said of having clarity from the team before the final game of the season is “ a nice part to it.”
Toews then referenced his health problems, which shelved him for February and March: “It was a lot of hard work for myself to get myself back in the lineup knowing that this could be the situation I’m coming into. At the same time it’s our last game of the season, guys have been working really hard and I know it’s a boring answer but the focus is always on the game.
“But aside from that, there’s definitely a lot of thoughts, a lot of feelings, and it might be a little easier to sort through when it’s all over. Definitely going to try my best to appreciate as much as I can one last time, to go out there in front of our fans, to be able to have this chance to look back on my career and look back on how many great groups I’ve been a part of in this locker room.”
Kane, traded to the Rangers on March 3, told NHL.com on Thursday: “He’s a legend, man. He turned that franchise around. It’s pretty impressive obviously what he’s done with his career, but just for that city in general, he’s great with the fans, great with the people. He’s the guy who led our team. He’s a legend.”
Davidson said he didn’t get a sense of disappointment from Toews about the Hawks’ decision, adding he had the sign-off from the Wirtz family, the team owners.
“It’s an organizational shift, right?” Davidson said. “There’s lots of discussion, but ownership is extremely supportive of our decisions.”
Davidson said the move was necessary for the rebuild and to set the table for the next generation of Hawks.
“It’s more so clearing the deck to allow the organic growth for young players into leadership roles and offer this new era of Blackhawks player — the same opportunity that Toews, Kane, (Duncan) Keith, (Brent) Seabrook were all offered when they came into the league,” he said.
“When there’s a player like Jonathan or Patrick in your locker room, you defer to them. You just let them handle the leadership, and there’s not a lot of development opportunity there. So now we believe that it was something that is beneficial for this next group to allow leaders to emerge and form that relationship with (coach) Luke (Richardson), form that relationship with myself.
“It gives them an opportunity to step up and be the new leadership group of the franchise.”
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Toews’ eight-year, $84 million contract with the Hawks, signed on July 9, 2014, expires at the end of the season.
Toews missed the entire 2020-21 season and a two-month stretch this season because of what he has characterized as near-unbearable symptoms from chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID-19.
Davidson said Kane’s health concerns didn’t weigh into his decision.
“This was strictly a decision for what we thought was best for the young players that would come in to step into that role,” he said.It forces some people to step up and experience things that they wouldn’t experience if Jonathan were in the room.”
Toews’ near-term outlook is up in the air.
Asked about a role in the front office, Davidson said: “We didn’t talk about that. We believe he’s going to play, but that’s a conversation for him.
“That door is not going to be closed, if and when that time comes.”
