A Day at the Ballpark

CHICAGO – It all seemed like a normal game day at Wrigley Field on Sunday afternoon – until it wasn’t.

Ahead of the 1:20 pm CT opening pitch, someone other than Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga would throw the first pitch of the afternoon – Winnipeg Jets forward, Jonathan Toews.

Highlights of the 37-year-old’s time with the Chicago Blackhawks played on the video board and a surprised crowd started to cheer. When his name was announced, and the three-time Stanley Cup champion made his way to the mound rocking the jersey of former Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster, the crowd got on its feet.

Toews handled the pressure of the moment – as he’s done numerous times throughout his illustrious career – and tossed the opening pitch with ease as a number of his Jets teammates looked on from just outside the Cubs dugout.

“I don’t think you realize how far away the home plate was from the mound but I think he did a pretty good job,” said Mark Scheifele. “It was really cool. Haven’t been to a baseball game in a long time, too, so it was a cool atmosphere, cool to see Toews throw the first pitch, it was a fun time.”

The moment was just part of an afternoon at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field for the Jets, who had an off-day following a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche the night before.

The whole team was in attendance at the game, walked the field after the final out was recorded, and went for dinner afterward to wrap up a memorable day.

“We haven’t had any time to do things together as a team. It’s been game, travel, game, off day, whatever it is, it’s just been that type of year with the amount of games and the volume we’ve had,” said DeMelo. “Everything about the whole day, just hanging out and going for dinner with the guys, that’s the fun stuff about this league. You get to hang out with your teammates, get to know them, share some laughs, and share some memories.”

There was one more memory to be made for the Jets, especially for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor.

Both were members of the USA Olympic team that won gold in men’s hockey at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina. They were shown on the video board in the fourth inning, leading to another ovation at the ballpark.

“It’s incredible. It’s really cool to see,” said Scheifele. “I think we really saw it when we were in San Jose. There are people, I don’t know if they knew anything about hockey but they knew Connor Hellebuyck, which is really cool, to see how much the Olympics did for the game of hockey. So to see the warm welcome he gets around the league is really cool.”