By definition, it was Jonathan Toews’ debut Tuesday night with the Winnipeg Jets — possibly an unofficial inauguration since it was only an NHL pre-season game, but his first game appearance in a Jets jersey nonetheless.
But what it really was was a starting point for Toews to resume his career, while at the same time doing so with his hometown team in what is both a dream come true for him and a long-held fantasy played out now as reality for hockey fans in this community.
And as far as first impressions are concerned, it was a decent beginning for the three-time Stanley Cup champion in a game that had moments of high-tempo NHL skill, but also respites of sloppiness that only exhibition hockey can provide.
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What the nearly 13,000 witnessed at Canada Life Centre overall was a player that can drive pace — particularly as the game progressed — and commanded a presence with and without the puck that will only make the team better as its second-line centre.
Now, it certainly wasn’t perfection, and Toews was the first to admit that post-game on Tuesday, but when he finished his address by saying, “it was great to play hockey again,” you know he wasn’t dissatisfied with the outing.
Overall, Toews played just under 19 minutes in the team’s loss to Edmonton and won 55 per cent of his faceoffs, both ‘another night at the office’ type of numbers for the 37-year-old, who missed the last two full seasons for health reasons.
At this point, getting that first game out of the way can only be a relief for Toews, who would love nothing more this season than to guide his hometown Jets to the summit of Lord Stanley’s mountain – a place he knows very well.
And if everything needs a starting point, perhaps Tuesday’s debut was just that for Toews — with the real inauguration still to come next spring.
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