Jonathan Toews returns to NHL with hometown Jets after being out 2 seasons with long COVID

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — The spotlight was on Jonathan Toews when the Winnipeg Jets took to the ice for their season opener against Dallas on Thursday night.

Toews, born in Winnipeg, received long, loud cheers from a sold-out crowd when he was introduced before the Jets’ 5-4 loss.

The 37-year-old Jets center, playing his first NHL game since April 13, 2023 with the Chicago Blackhawks, recorded 18:19 of ice time in his 1,068th career regular season game. He scored a shot on goal.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion and former Chicago captain missed the last two seasons due to health reasons related to chronic inflammatory response syndrome and long-term COVID-19.

“Just a lot of energy. A lot of excitement. Just trying to contain myself,” Toews said of the crowd’s reception.

Toews said he felt “close” to being fit. He played on the second line with wingers Gustav Nyquist and Nikita Chibrikov.

“But there’s a lot of things to improve on, a lot of little things I can do better,” Toews said. “I really try to start the game with the puck on faceoffs. It hasn’t really been successful for my line. But other than that, there have been situations where all three of us have created and had chances, even on the power play as well.

“I was about to shake things up and get us on the board, so I think there are some positives that I’m excited about. (I’m) going to continue to try to build on that.”

Jets coach Scott Arniel said Toews was a lot like his teammates — it took a while to get everyone going.

“I thought I saw some changes in his game in that second period,” Arniel said. “He started to get the puck a little more, he got some looks, that line started to do some things.

“At the end of the day, it’s a tough question because our whole group wasn’t good. And for him, I definitely wish it was a better first game.”

The Dallas Stars also appreciated Toews’ efforts to return to the NHL.

“It’s great to see him again,” Mikko Rantanen said. “I think it’s good for the league to have a player like him back in the lineup and in the NHL, I’m so happy for him.

“It was a long trip back and I thought he looked good there, so it’s great for the league to have a face like that on the ice.”

Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan, making his debut behind the bench in his second stint with the franchise, also tipped his hat to Toews.

“I felt good for him, you know,” Gulutzan said. “I’ve watched him and, you know, he’s still a big body, strong on pucks. And you can see his, just a little bit of his ‘stubbornness’ around.

“And for a guy who hasn’t played in a while, boy, he’s a great player. He always looks good, and we’re kind of watching him because he was one of the great players in the game.”

___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl