Blackhawks Captain Toews Out Indefinitely With Medical Issue

CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will not begin training camp with the team after spending the offseason dealing with an unknown medical condition that he said has left him feeling lethargic and drained, the team announced Tuesday.

Toews, 32, has spent his entire career with the Hawks and has been part of three Stanley Cup championship teams. In a statement, Toews — who registered 60 points in 70 games last season — said he is working with doctors to better understand his condition and said he has no timetable for a return.

"Until I can get my health back to a place where I feel I can perform at an elite level and help my team, I will not be joining the Blackhawks for training camp,” Toews said Tuesday in a statement issued by the team. “I am extremely disappointed, but it wouldn't be fair to myself or my teammates to attempt to play in my current condition.”

The news comes a day after the Blackhawks announced that they would be without former No. 3 draft pick Kirby Dach, who is expected to miss the next 4-5 months with a broken wrist. Dach recently underwent surgery for the injury, which he suffered while playing the World Junior Championships for Team Canada.

Toews is one of the veteran faces of the Blackhawks, who are in the midst of a rebuild after winning three Stanley Cup titles between 2010 and 2015. Toews has registered at least 50 points in all but one of his 13 seasons and was just one year removed from tallying a career-best 81 points in the 2019-20 season.

“To Blackhawks fans, I will continue to do whatever I can to get back on the ice and return to play the game I love for the team I love,” Toews said. “I will not be making any further comment at this time and ask everyone to please respect my privacy as I focus on my health and recovery.”

Toews injury is the latest blow to a team that finished last in the Central Division last season, but still managed to make the playoffs due to the revamped system after the season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Blackhawks announced earlier this year that they would not re-sign veteran goalie Corey Crawford, who dealt with a number of medical issues in recent seasons, including testing positive for the coronavirus last season.

Team president and general manager Stan Bowman said Tuesday that the Blackhawks would provide all necessary resources to assist Toews return to the ice but said that the captain’s health was the top priority. In a statement, Toews' agent, said that he remains in communications with Bowman and said that Toews looks forward to returning to the top level of play that Blackhawks fans have become accustomed to seeing on the ice.

The Hawks are scheduled to begin training camp on Jan. 3 and the season in tentatively scheduled to begin Jan. 13. The NHL has already announced that its annual Winter Classic and All-Star Game have been canceled as the league and its players continue to deal with the ongoing pandemic.

“The health and privacy of all our players is paramount to the Chicago Blackhawks organization,” Bowman said. “We care about Jonathan, and we know how badly he wants to be with his teammates competing on the ice.”