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Jonathan Toews, the former captain of the Chicago Blackhawks and a three-time Stanley Cup champion, posted a strange update on Thursday morning regarding his health.
Toews has not played since the 2022-23 season, but has not retired from the sport. Instead, he spent the past season focusing on his health as he battled with symptoms of Long Covid.
Arguably the highest-profile athlete struggling with Long Covid, Toews posted on his Instagram profile a series of pictures of him in India with a caption explaining that he had been on the subcontinent for a number of weeks.
‘As some of you may know, I’ve been on a bit of a healing journey,’ read the caption on his post.
‘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.
Former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (R) posted a health update from India
Toews says he had been undergoing a detox for five weeks to help improve his health
‘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.’
Back in June of 2021, Toews announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic inflammatory response syndrome. Months later, he revealed that he had Covid at some point in the 2020-21 season.
Toews managed to play 71 of 82 games in the 2021-22 season. But the following campaign, he only managed to play in 53 games as his health continued to deteriorate.
In February of 2023, Toews revealed that he was still suffering from symptoms of CIRS as well as long Covid. He missed two months before returning in April – at the tail end of the regular season.
Toews is arguably the most well-known athlete dealing with the effects of Long Covid
Toews won three Stanley Cups as captain of the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015
Later that month, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson revealed that the team would not re-sign him – making him a free agent at the end of the season.
Rather than sign with a new team, Toews decided to sit out the 2023-24 season to focus on his health.
Drafted third overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, Toews is one of the greatest players in the history of the Blackhawks organization.
Currently, he sits sixth in the franchise’s all-time points leader list, sixth on their goal scorers list, and eighth in assists.
A six-time All-Star, he won three Stanley Cups in Chicago in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
With Team Canada, he won Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010 and in Sochi in 2014. He also won gold with Canada at the 2007 IIHF World Championships and gold twice at the World Juniors in 2006 and 2007.