Jonathan Toews reaches another milestone in his NHL comeback by recording 1st point since 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Toews reached another milestone in his NHL comeback on Monday, recording his first point in nearly 2 1/2 years.

“I guess when you put it that way it’s nice to get the monkey off your back,” Toews said after he and the Winnipeg Jets beat the New York Islanders 5-2.

Toews helped set up Nino Niederreiter's power-play goal in the Jets' third game of the season and picked up a secondary assist. Toews last got on the scoresheet April 14, 2023, in his final game with Chicago before stepping away from hockey because of health issues.

“Felt like I had a few chances to score, too,” Toews said. "Hopefully find a way to get that first goal here, too. I think ultimately you just concentrate on making plays, getting around the net, being more confident when the puck comes to you in those dangerous areas. It’s a numbers game. Just got to keep creating and find ways to find the back of the net.”

Toews, now 37, chose his hometown team to make his return after missing the past two seasons because of the effects of chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID. He said he's feeling good physically while getting up to speed.

“Still finding my way a little bit," Toews said. “It takes time to become second-nature. And then you have to find your game. You’ve got to go out there and relax a little bit. The first couple games I felt like I was getting tired late in shifts, because you’re just over-skating everything and over-working yourself. You’d rather be safe than sorry, and sometimes less is more.”

Toews captained Chicago to the Stanley Cup three times, in 2010, ‘13 and ’15. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the franchise's first championship run since 1961 and in 2016 was chosen as one of the top 100 players in the league's 100-year history.

“He’s worked hard to come back and feel good, and I think that’s the most important thing is he’s feeling good,” longtime Blackhawks teammate and current Detroit Red Wings winger Patrick Kane said last month. “I’m really happy that he’s back.”

Toews also helped Canada win two Olympic gold medals. Those tournaments and world championships are the only times he and Kane have faced off against each other since breaking in together with the Blackhawks in '07.

Assuming they're healthy, that is set to change on Dec. 31 when Winnipeg visits Detroit. Kane already asked coach Todd McLellan to put him out for the opening faceoff against the former teammate with whom he'll forever be linked.

Asked before camp opened if he thought Toews — nicknamed “Captain Serious” for his low-key demeanor — has mellowed over the years, Kane shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” Kane said. “I’m sure he’s pissed off about something. Someone said something about him, or he’s always got to prove someone wrong. That’s a great thing about Johnny. He’s always out to prove something.”

Toews is proving he still has it, averaging over 17 minutes of ice time as the Jets' second-line center. Coach Scott Arniel used Toews on the penalty kill against the Islanders after forward Cole Koepke got injured blocking a shot, but the staff is trying not to overplay him.

“He’s getting better every day," Arniel said. "That’s what we talked about, him and I, that it wasn’t going to come in one fell swoop. Every day, he’s gotten better and better and I think he’s recognizing just how to kind of play the game with his hockey smarts.

“He does veteran things. He does elite things, whether it’s using his body or his stick or his positioning and you’re just seeing him getting more and more comfortable: getting comfortable with our team and how we play but also his linemates and different people, as well.”

The next task is a long shot bid to make Canada's Olympic team one more time in NHL players' return to the Games in Milan in February. He'd also like to help the Jets win the Cup for the first time, and his teammates love having Toews around.

“It’s the leadership he has, the things he’s done in this league, and there’s nothing that he hasn’t done,” Tanner Pearson said. “It goes a long way. (He) helps us along. He’s very vocal in the room, says the right things.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) passes the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) skates upice during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) controls the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Winnipeg Jets' Jonathan Toews (19) is introduced prior to NHL hockey game action against the Dallas Stars in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The “Bridesmaids” gathered for a rehearsal the day before the big show, but this time they're playing the role of awards presenter. Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig and Ellie Kemper took the stage at the Dolby Theatre Saturday to run through their lines one last time.

The Associated Press got a behind the scenes look at some of what’s to come during the 98th Oscars Sunday, with a few big caveats: What they’re presenting and what they’ll be saying are to be left surprises.

But 15 years after “Bridesmaids” hit theaters, the actors looked happy to be together again, laughing and chatting and blowing kisses to the theoretical audience. Wiig especially had Byrne in stitches as they got ready for their cue. But when it came for the rehearsal Wiig turned de factor director, asking about lighting timings and camera cuts to make sure that their bit landed just right.

Byrne is in the unusual position of also being a nominee Sunday for her leading performance in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” All were dressed informally, except for their sky-high show heels.

The male actors tend to be more casual with their footwear. Both Javier Bardem and Adrien Brody wore sneakers. Most of the presenters are also in and out of the room fairly quickly with their power publicists and agents ushering them along, but Bardem ventured into the auditorium to greet and chat with Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and CEO Bill Kramer.

“Am I fired?” he asked with a laugh. “I promise I’ll learn the lines.”

Brody, who won best actor last year, ran through his script several times. Sporting a black T-shirt with “Hollywood” printed on the front in big, white, block letters, a black baseball hat and red-rimmed sunglasses, he looked serious as he knelt and discussed something with a producer.

There was an air of calm inside the theater with just 24 hours until showtime as producers, technicians and camera operators milled about going through their tasks. Rehearsals have been going on for a few days now, and more will continue into the evening. Friday, the theater hosted the rehearsal for “I Lied to You,” from “Sinners,” which Kramer promised will be “epic.”

“There’s not a bad beat,” Kramer said. “It’s a stacked show.”

In addition to a planned Marvel reunion, likely with Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, producers said there will also be a “Moulin Rouge!” reunion with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor taking the stage together.

The Academy Awards, hosted again by Conan O'Brien, will be held on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show, to be broadcast live by ABC, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

For more coverage of the 2026 Oscars, visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Melissa McCarthy’s last name in the first paragraph.

A person walks past Oscar statues wrapped in plastic in the red carpet area of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Friday, March 13, 2026, during preparations for Sunday's 98th Academy Awards ceremony. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Alex Cortez polishes the base of an Oscar statue at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in preparation for Sunday's 98th Academy Awards ceremony. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Workers install an Oscar statue at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in preparation for Sunday's 98th Academy Awards ceremony. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Oscar statue is protected by plastic in the red carpet area, Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in preparation for Sunday's 98th Academy Awards ceremony. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Motion picture painter Chance Gugler, whose father was also a film set painter who worked on over 80 movies, touches up an Oscars backdrop on Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, in preparation for Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)