When the Ducks host the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, fans of the Chicago Blackhawks may be expecting Rod Serling to call the game.
The “Twilight Zone” vibe will emanate from two three-time champions in Chicago eschewing tomahawks and headdresses in favor of aviation and avian themes, respectively.
Former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews now skates for the Jets and, of course, one-time Chicago coach Joel Quenneville is now the bench boss of the Ducks, with both men returning to the NHL after lengthy absences.
Toews’ bout with a vague but debilitating immunological disorder caused him to miss the past two campaigns and three of the last five. Quenneville was sidelined by a 2021 ban by the NHL resulting from his improper response to a sexual abuse scandal at the outset of the Blackhawks’ dynasty.
For Toews, his return has already pitted him against his former team last week, and he caught up with mainstay Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook in Calgary, where he now works for the Flames. He’ll line up opposite Patrick Kane for the first time on New Year’s Eve and visit Chicago for the first time as an opponent 20 days later.
Toews told RG Media that the differences and adaptations only drove home how fortunate he was to be able to play again. His current coach, Scott Arniel, said the enthusiasm of the man once dubbed “Captain Serious” was palpable.
“He’s so excited, he’s like a little kid again, getting back and having another opportunity to play,” Arniel said. “He’s right in the middle of everything that’s going on; he’s become part of our leadership group. When he speaks, the guys certainly listen.”
Toews and Quenneville once shared a sports landscape with the “Monsters of the Midway,” but of late the Ducks have been putting up more touchdowns than any Bears quarterback since Sid Luckman.
While that may be (slightly) hyperbolic, the Ducks’ four seven-goal performances – the most recent one came against stalwart Dallas ahead of this back-to-back set with the Golden Knights in Vegas and Winnipeg at home – were just one fewer than they produced across six seasons under Quenneville’s two most recent predecessors.
The Ducks have ranked first overall in goals per game, a stunning about-face from their past seven playoff-less seasons, over which they placed last. They will put their newfound rep on the line against Toews, one of the NHL’s top faceoff men this season, and Connor Hellebuyck, who won the Vezina and Hart trophies last year to further cement his reputation as the world’s top netminder.
Winnipeg at Ducks
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Honda Center
TV: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)