Start of Winnipeg Jets' 1st season with Jonathan Toews on roster a reminder of bond between player, hometown

Read a version of this story in French here .

Jonathan Toews's first game as a member of the Winnipeg Jets, slated for Thursday night, promises to be a meaningful homecoming for both the star centre and countless Manitoba hockey fans.

"Having the chance to be here at home in front of my friends, my family and the city of Winnipeg and playing for the Jets, it's a dream," the Winnipeg-born Toews said in French — which he grew up speaking in a bilingual household — after a training camp session last month. 

Toews, who captained the Chicago Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015, says he feels the community he grew up in has left its mark on his makeup as a hockey player. 

"We're very humble. We're hard-working. For me, those are two qualities that I think I exhibit every day," he said in French. 

"My ability to work, to score goals, to attain my objectives [are things that] I've learned from my parents, but also my coaches and my teachers, all my friends."

Several Jets supporters who came to a recent team training camp session said having Toews play for the team is a dream come true for them as well. 

"It's very special for Winnipeg," Jets fan Vinny Gillespie told Radio-Canada at the event, speaking in French.

Gillespie, a university student, says he's bought tickets for Toews's first game, and intends to grab a No. 19 Toews jersey for the occasion. 

Fan Jessica Bradley said she's "always been a Jonathan Toews fan, even before the Jets came back [to Winnipeg in 2011]."

"So to see him on home ice wearing home team colours is amazing," said Bradley.

Toews "could've gone to any team in the league," added Melissa Matthew.  "But he came to Winnipeg, so that's huge."

Toews, now 37, will soon see his first