Jonathan Toews will face his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks, for the first time as a visitor when the Winnipeg Jets play at United Center on January 19, 2026. The former Blackhawks captain, who led the team to three Stanley Cup titles, described the occasion as a 'weird situation' ahead of the 8:30 p.m. ET matchup. Toews signed with his hometown Jets this season after a two-year hiatus.
Jonathan Toews, the longtime captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, is set to step onto the ice at United Center as an opponent for the first time in his career. The Winnipeg Jets will take on the Blackhawks on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. ET, marking Toews' return since his last game with Chicago on April 13, 2023.
Toews, selected third overall by the Blackhawks in the 2006 NHL Draft, amassed 883 points (372 goals, 511 assists) in 1,067 games with the team. He assumed the captaincy before the 2008-09 season and guided Chicago to Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2010 with 29 points in 22 games. The Blackhawks opted not to re-sign him after the 2022-23 season, during which health issues, including Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and long COVID-19 effects, limited him to 124 games over three years. Toews then took two years away from the NHL before signing a one-year, $2 million contract with the Jets on June 20, 2025.
This season, the 37-year-old center has recorded 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 47 games for the Jets, who sit second-to-last in the Western Conference with a 19-22-6 record. Their four-game winning streak ended in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Blackhawks, at 19-22-7, have dropped three straight games and four of their last five.
Reflecting on the emotional return, Toews said, "It's a weird situation. You don't get games like this all the time, obviously." He plans to balance the sentiment with focus, stating, "Just trying to walk that line between, at the end of the day you want to go out there and play well and win the game." Toews spent Sunday evening in Chicago dining with his parents and former Blackhawks teammates Andrew Shaw, Kris Versteeg, and Troy Brouwer. He anticipates a warm reception, similar to the unexpected video tribute in his final home game.
Chicago coach Jeff Blashill praised Toews as "a great winner," noting his model of championship play: "You pounce when you get the opportunity to pounce and you play smart when you don't." Toews himself credited the team's success to a "perfect storm" of talented players and organizational momentum in a great sports city like Chicago.
