‘He worked so hard to get back, to get healthy again’

The Winnipeg Jets’ signing of hometown hero Jonathan Toews has hockey fans buzzing — but no one’s cheering louder than his own family now that a holiday wish has finally come true.

“We knew since probably around Christmas time that the Jets were the team he was hoping to land on,” Toews’ cousin, Kurt Enns, told the Free Press on Tuesday.

“But it’s a business, so you never really know how it might turn out, right? It’s so cool now that it actually is happening.”

Toews will officially put pen to paper next Tuesday — Canada Day — as NHL teams are allowed to begin conducting 2025-26 business. The 37-year-old, who hasn’t played for two seasons due to health-related issues, will be paid a base salary of US$2 million with bonuses that could total an additional US$5 million.

A formal press conference by the Jets introducing a three-time Stanley Cup champion, decorated international competitor and sure-fire Hall of Famer who already has a community club and a lake named after him in the province will also occur next week.

“I think in the back of our minds we always thought that one day he could possibly be a Jet,” said Enns, whose mother is the sister of Toews’ father.

“But we’re all just really happy now that he is healthy and able to play again. We’re all pumped for the season to start. I think he’s going to have a lot to contribute to the team. He’s a fierce, fierce competitor. He brings a lot of leadership and work ethic. Hopefully he can help the Jets win the Cup.”

Enns said the entire family was rooting for Toews as he sought extensive treatment for long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome (CIRS), including several weeks in India for an Ayurvedic detox called Panchakarma which is said to help cleanse the body of impurities that can lead to disease.

The veteran forward resumed skating over the winter and recently declared himself 100 per cent, with plenty of teams in addition to Winnipeg looking to secure his services.

“He worked so hard to get back, to get healthy again, and be able to play again,” said Enns. “He doesn’t give up. And he’s really passionate with his sport. This is what he wants to do. It couldn’t be better.”

Enns, his wife Tiffany and their two children, Madison and Ryker, have travelled across North America to watch Toews play over the years.

“We’ve been to Chicago, of course. Tampa. Went to Toronto, Montreal, New York Islanders, New York Rangers. Buffalo,” he said.

Now? Just a short drive from their home in Steinbach to Canada Life Centre to hopefully see him play 41 regular-season times starting in October — and then plenty more playoff games in the spring.

“We’ll be getting season tickets. It’s going to be so cool seeing all these people wearing Toews jerseys.”–Kurt Enns

“We’ll be getting season tickets,” said Enns. “It’s going to be so cool seeing all these people wearing Toews jerseys.”

Indeed, the Jets have already starting selling them, along with Toews’ traditional No. 19. Enns tipped his cap to current Jets forward David Gustafsson, who had been wearing that number but didn’t hesitate to give it up.

“Apparently (Gustafsson) said that he was wearing it because of Jonathan, so he was pretty OK with giving it up and pretty happy to do so,” he said.

Toews is one of the most decorated Manitoba athletes in history, with a trophy case that also includes two Olympic gold medals, a Conn Smythe trophy, a Selke trophy, a World Cup of Hockey gold medal, a pair of World Junior Hockey Championship titles and a gold medal at the 2007 IIHF men’s World Hockey Championship.

The third-overall pick by Chicago in the 2006 NHL draft has 883 points in 1,067 career games — totals nobody was sure would ever be increased.

While the wheels for a Winnipeg signing may have started turning last December, the Jets connection dates all the way back to childhood. Enns has a photo of his cousin, just a few years old, wearing a 1.0 jersey and sitting beside him on the couch.

Toews has been sharing similar images on his Instagram page in recent days, including one of him wearing a Teemu Selanne shirt as a little kid.

“Am I dreaming, or is this real life?” he wrote in the caption.

“My earliest hockey memories are of watching the Jets, pre-’96 at the Winnipeg Arena. I remember being glued to my seat in the upper deck, unable to move an inch because the nose bleeds were savagely steep and high, but also because I was immediately mesmerized by the game of hockey.”

Although Toews has played multiple NHL games in his backyard as a member of the Blackhawks, the veteran centre will now experience it from an entirely different perspective.

“Never would I have thought that someday I’d skate on the ice down below, my dream of reaching the NHL coming full circle to playing in the very city that raised me,” wrote Toews.

“I’ve never been more proud to be from Winnipeg. Thank you to everyone for the love and support, and to the Jets organization for making another childhood dream come true.”

His family would like to second that.

“It’s going to be so exciting to watch,” said Enns.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg