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Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews is stepping away from hockey to focus on beatinglong 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 hadno choice but to step backand concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization.”
He was also absent the entire 2020-2021 season through what he described as “achronic immune response syndrome,” reported ESPN — thoughhe did return to the icefor 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 experiencesymptoms for many weeks or even monthsafter having COVID-19.
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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.''
Toews hasn’t posted to his own Twitter account since 2021, with his last tweetthanking fans for understanding his health issuesand 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’sStanley Cuptitles.
source: people.com
