Blackhawks News

Former Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews Shares Update on Healing Journey

Published

3 weeks ago

November 21, 2024

Jim Lynch

Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews lines up for a face-off in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Jonathan Toews last played an NHL hockey game on April 13, 2023, scoring a goal in the Blackhawks 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. For Blackhawks fans, it was a well known send off for the team’s longtime captain, with fans staying long after the final whistle to show their appreciation for Toews.

Just a few months later, the Hawks would go on to draft Connor Bedard first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Toews really has not been heard from much since, until now.

On Thursday, Toews took to social media sharing an update on his healing journey.

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A post shared by Jonathan Toews (@jonathantoews)

Full caption via Jonathan Toews’s Instagram:

“As some of you may know, I’ve been on a bit of a healing journey. I’ve had many ups and downs, brief moments of hope working with a whole bunch of different doctors and modalities, followed by doubting if things would ever improve. But I recently spent 5 weeks in India undergoing an Ayurvedic detox called a Panchakarma, and I’m happy to say things are trending.

“Ayurveda translates to ‘Knowledge of Life’ and has been the healing science of India for over 5,000 years. This system views our bodies as delicate ecosystems, influenced by everything we consume as far as energy, information, thoughts, feelings, and food. In short, it teaches that our health can thrive when we learn to simplify our lives, create space for stillness and better align ourselves with nature’s rhythms. A Panchakarma is a healing protocol designed to restore your health by cleansing and releasing toxins stored deep in the body.

“It’s too long of a story to share all the details here, but it’s been almost 5 years of searching for a way to heal the inflammatory and immune system issues that took me out of hockey. The wisdom of Ayurveda has taught me that everything I experience, I am responsible for. Not only did it teach me better diet choices specific to my body type, it has deepened my intuitive relationship with myself and the world around me.”

Jonathan Toews was drafted third overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. Over the course of his 15 year career, Toews skated in 1067 NHL games, but in his last few seasons Toews missed a lot of time with health issues and injuries.

The Blackhawks captain was sidelined for the entire 2020-21 NHL Season and parts of his final season. In February 2023, Toews announced he was dealing with symptoms of long COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome.