Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews Taking Break from Hockey to Deal with Continued Long COVID Symptoms

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Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews is stepping away from hockey to focus on beating long COVID.

"It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms," Toews, 34, said in an official team statement Sunday. "In the last few weeks, it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization."

Toews, who hasn't played a game since Jan. 28, was placed on "injured reserve" by the Blackhawks on Feb. 19.

He was also absent the entire 2020-2021 season through what he described as "a chronic immune response syndrome," reported ESPN — though he did return to the ice for the 2021-2022 season and part of the current season, added Forbes.

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"We're going to work with him and support him in whatever he needs to make sure he's feeling good and feeling strong and in a spot where he can come back on the ice," Kyle Davidson, the Chicago team's general manager told ESPN. He also confirmed that Toews would not be traded during his health battle with long COVID, which Cleveland Clinic describes as a condition where people experience symptoms for many weeks or even months after having COVID-19.

"We'll take it day by day, but the hope is that he can still play some games here down the stretch," added Davidson.

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Blackhawks' head coach Luke Richardson echoed Davidson's words in his own statement to ESPN. "We feel for him and just supporting him right now,'' he said. "He was back this week, first steps of getting back and working out and skating, and unfortunately he wasn't getting the results that he wanted.''

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Toews hasn't posted to his own Twitter account since 2021, with his last tweet thanking fans for understanding his health issues and pause from the NHL team.

"I wasn't too vocal about the things I went through this year. I appreciate the understanding and support and wanted to share this message on where I'm at," he wrote of the same conditions still affecting him in this current season.

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The athlete, who will officially be a free agent next year per ESPN, has spent his entire career with Chicago and been along for three of the team's Stanley Cup titles.

In 2006, Toews was the No. 3 pick in the NHL draft. Named Blackhawks captain in 2008, he was voted MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2010 and in 2015, and received the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, according to NHL.com. He currently holds 880 points (371 goals, 509 assists) in 1,060 regular-season games.