No, you’re not alone. This is weird.
It was strange enough when Patrick Kane took the ice against the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time, scoring the winning goal in overtime for the Detroit Red Wings in February 2024.
On the same night Chris Chelios’ jersey was raised to the rafters, Kane wore the visitors sweater while playing below the three Stanley Cup banners he helped bring to the city. And he didn’t hide his smile when he skated across the United Center ice three times as the Hawks faithful gave a standing ovation.
Yeah, weird. Beautiful but strange.
“Just the whole night was weird, to be honest with you,” Kane said postgame. “Different kind of night.”
Well, here we go again.
The Hawks are on the road this time, but their former captain Jonathan Toews will be wearing Winnipeg Jets blue. Still, the Hawks are in his heart forever.
“I’m very thankful for how things went in Chicago — it was definitely a dream,” Toews told reporters before Thursday night’s game in Winnipeg. “It was some tougher years at the end of my time there that helped me put things in perspective, and it makes you realize that the success we had is what everyone in the league is going after and it’s a really hard thing to do.
“When it happens early in your career, sometimes you take it for granted. You kind of assume this is normal on some level. I will always have a special connection to the city of Chicago.”
Marián Hossa, Corey Crawford, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Kane aren’t on this Hawks squad. In fact, just seven players on this season’s team were on a roster with Toews. That didn’t make the matchup any less emotional.
“I’ve got a couple good friends that are still on the team. The training staff and all of those guys are still there,” Toews said. “Overall, there’s still a connection to the city of Chicago and there always will be.
“Chicago was my home for a long time. It’s days like this you get to stop for a second and reflect and look back. There was a lot of years in Chicago (where) it felt like Groundhog Day because it was the same group of guys, the same coaching staff and a lot of the same continuity. You start to think things are never going to change, but then things change really fast and here we are.”
One of the new faces is Connor Bedard, who was 4 years old when Toews, now 37, won his first Stanley Cup in June 2010. The team’s new star knows how big of a night it will be for Hawks fans.
“(Toews is) someone that means so much to the city, the fans, the organization and everyone here … and for all of us, he’s a guy we grew up watching,” Bedard said. “Someone I think the whole world is rooting for, hearing his story of the last couple years and coming back and playing for his hometown.”
After playing — and scoring — in his last game with the Hawks in April 2023, Toews sat out the last two seasons to focus on his health. Nick Foligno succeeded him as Hawks captain in September 2024.
While never teammates, the two veterans have kept in touch over the past few years, and Foligno is a big Toews fan.
“I’m thrilled for him. You never really doubt Jonathan because he’s got a little screw loose in a lot of ways,” Foligno said with a smile. “That’s what makes him who he is, and you admire it so much.
“He needed to get healthy and feel good about himself and his game. You knew if he did that, he was still going to come back and be an effective player in this league. He’s too good and he’s going to be a Hall of Famer for a reason.”
Toews is pleased to see the Hawks off to their best 10-game start since 2018. He wants to add a loss to their record Thursday night, but it may be bittersweet if that happens.
“It’s good to see,” Toews said. “The fans in Chicago are incredible, and it’s nice to see that they have something to cheer for. (The) young talent is getting the United Center rocking again, so it’s exciting to see.”
Toews and the Jets visit the United Center on Jan. 19. Bring an extra pack of tissues that day.