Toews was 'secretly' rooting for Jets to win Cup

Jonathan Toews would have liked to see his hometown team vie for a chance at the Stanley Cup.

The Chicago Blackhawks captain's own club missed the playoffs for just the second time in his career and the first time since his rookie season in 2008. He admitted that though it pains him to see any other team lift the trophy, if he had to pick, he would have preferred the Winnipeg Jets to go the distance.

"I definitely don't want to see any team win the Cup," Toews told TSN's Kara Wagland. "I won't be happy to see someone else hoist it at the end of it all. But I was asked this question numerous times and being from Winnipeg, I think it would have been great for the city, and just knowing how passionate those fans are and how much they love the game. To see their team do well, I was secretly kind of rooting for them if I had to pick somebody."

The Jets came up short, losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.

Meanwhile, Toews remains confident that the Blackhawks will return to the playoffs next season.

"Absolutely," Toews said. "I think we all were disappointed and kind of shocked as to how the second half of our season went this year and we're all kind of feeling that sting pretty good. So I think everyone's going to be excited to bring their best hockey forward next year. We know that's the goal."