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When the spotlight was on Jonathan Toews winnipeg The Jets skated on the ice for their season opener dallas On Thursday night.
Winnipeg-born Toews received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was introduced before the Jets’ 5-4 loss.
The 37-year-old Jets center, who was playing his first nhl Games from April 13, 2023, with chicago The Blackhawks recorded 18:19 of ice time in the 1,068th regular season game of his career. One of his shots was on goal.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion and former Chicago captain missed the last two seasons due to chronic inflammatory response syndrome and long-term health reasons related to COVID-19.
Toews said of the crowd’s reception, “Just a lot of energy. A lot of excitement. I’m just trying to contain myself there.”
Toews said he felt “closer” to being in game form. He played in the second row alongside wingers Gustav Nyqvist and Nikita Chibrikov.
“But there’s a lot of room for improvement, a lot of little things I can do better,” Toews said. “Definitely trying to start the game after faceoffs. It wasn’t really happening for my line there. But other than that, there were some situations where all three of us created and created some chances, even on the power play.
“I was pretty close to making things happen, getting us on board, so I think there’s some positive things I’m excited about. (I’m) just going to keep trying to move forward.”
Jets coach Scott Arnielle said Toews was much like his teammates – everyone took a while to catch on.
“I thought I saw a change in his game in that second period,” Arniel said. “He started seeing the puck a little more, got some looks, that line started doing some things.
“At the end of the day, it’s tough because our whole group wasn’t good. And for them, it definitely would have liked to have a better first game.”
The Dallas Stars also praised Toews’ effort to return to NHL action.
“It’s great to see him back,” Mikko Rantanen said. “I think having a player like him back in the lineup and back in the NHL is good for the league, very happy for him.
“It was a long trip back and I thought he looked good out there, so it’s great for the league to have a face like that on the ice.”
Dallas coach Glenn Gulutzan also tipped his hat to Toews, making his debut behind the bench in his second stint with the franchise.
“I felt good for him, you know,” Gulutzan said. “I’ve watched him and, you know, still a big body, strong on the puck. And you can see him around, just some of his ‘headaches.’
“And for a guy who hasn’t played in a while, boy, he’s a great player. He still looks good, and you pay attention to him a little bit because he was one of the big guys in the game.”
___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl