TOEWS WON’T PLAY IN 2023-24

Leaves open possibility of return in ’24-25

Jonathan Toews announced Thursday that he’s taking time away from hockey yet again, suggesting he won’t play in the NHL during the 2023-24 season.

But the legendary Blackhawks forward — now a free agent — clarified he isn’t officially retiring yet, leaving the door open for a theoretical return to the league on another team in 2024-25.

“I cannot deny my love for the game of hockey and still feel the passion for competing at my highest level,” Toews wrote on Instagram. “However, these last few seasons have been very difficult considering my health challenges. My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again.

“Along the way I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome and other similar cases that are quite complex. I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all. Thank you to all of you who have supported me and respected my privacy in the process.”

Hawks fans already had waved farewell to Toews — one of the most successful captains in Chicago sports history — on April 13, shortly after Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson announced the team didn’t plan to re-sign him.

Toews sounded as if he already was leaning in this direction at that time.

“There’s a lot of things that you have to sacrifice over the years to be able to reap the benefits of having success at this level,” he said in April. “So it would be nice to spend time with family and friends, too, and just be able to put people first once in a while.

“It’s just a small thing, but it’s true. When you’re playing hockey, everyone’s attention is on you, and you’re putting yourself first. You have to be selfish in a lot of ways. It would be nice to just let [my] guard down and just see where life takes [me] a little bit.”

Toews also said in April that he planned to see how his body responded to a summer of training. Evidently, it didn’t respond as well as it needed to in order to convince him he could handle another 82-game grind right now.

In a separate Instagram post Thursday, Toews wrote another heartfelt thank-you message to Hawks fans and staff for their support over the last 16 years, during which he had 883 points in 1,067 regular-season games.

“Aside from the three Stanley Cups, the parades and the countless memories made with my teammates, what is still most special to me was feeling a true connection to the people of this city,” he wrote.