Jonathan Toews, who helped Blackhawks to 3 Stanley Cup titles, steps away to deal with serious health issues

Jonathan Toews helped bring three Stanley Cup championships to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010s, fully cementing his legacy as one of the best players to ever play for the franchise.

However, Toews announced Sunday that he will be taking a step back from the ice as he tries to get healthy and recover from long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome.

“First of all, thank you to the fans and all those who have shown concern about my absence. I’m still dealing with the symptoms of Long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome,” he said in a statement through the Blackhawks.

“It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms. In the last few weeks, it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization.”

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Toews, 34, has played in 46 games this season. He has 14 goals and 14 assists but hasn’t scored more than 20 goals since the 2018-2019 season.

Chicago is 17-32-5 this season, eighth in the NHL Central Division.

Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since the coronavirus-impacted season of 2020 and 2017 before that.