Cheveldayoff, an assistant GM in Chicago when Toews and the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup, said that when he joined the Jets the following year, he and team co-owner Mark Chipman mused about the possibility of seeing Toews in a Winnipeg jersey one day.

“I bumped into Kane last week and had a chat with him and even seeing him play for the Rangers and the Red Wings right after, it was when the reality set in that change is for the best,” Toews said. “The whole era was coming to an end, we were all very thankful to be part of that, to have had each other as teammates and had the success we had.”

The moment has finally come, Jets fans, as Jonathan Toews landed in Winnipeg and spoke to reporters for the very first time as a member of his new team.