Caleb Williams, Pete Crow-Armstrong watch Connor Bedard's Blackhawks shut out Jets

While Blackhawks fans saluted one of Chicago’s legendary athletes of the 2010s in Jonathan Toews on Monday at the United Center, three of the city’s up-and-coming stars were also in the building.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong watched Connor Bedard and the Hawks beat the Jets 2-0 from front-row seats in Section 120.

The roars for both — from the sellout crowd of 19,894 — nearly rivaled those for the salute to Toews in volume, albeit not in duration.

They enjoyed a rock-solid performance by goalie Spencer Knight, who made 32 saves to earn his third shutout of the season and help the Hawks snap a three-game losing streak.

A goal by Jason Dickinson in the second period held up until Bedard sealed the result with an empty-net goal, his first since returning from a shoulder injury.

Offense has been scarce lately for the Hawks, but they at least anticipated and game-planned for that against terrific Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck (22 saves). The Hawks’ top defensive pairing of Alex Vlasic and Louis Crevier was particularly impressive, shutting down the Jets’ top forward line.

‘‘We knew it was going to be a low-scoring game, so we took the chances that were given to us and tried our best to shut down their offense,’’ Vlasic said. ‘‘We’ve got to learn how to win those games.’’

Said coach Jeff Blashill: ‘‘We checked really hard tonight. We were hard in the slot area. We did a much better job of not giving up anything easy, and when we did give up chances, Spencer was excellent.’’

Star support

Williams, just one day removed from the Bears’ dramatic, devastating playoff loss to the Rams, pumped his fist when he was shown on the videoboard. He wore a black Bedard jersey, and Crow-Armstrong wore a red Connor Murphy sweater.

The two hung out in the Hawks’ locker room after the game, mingling with the team before spending some extra time joking around with a group that included Bedard, Nick Foligno, Frank Nazar (who’s nearing a return from injury) and Nick Lardis.

As they were leaving, rookie forward Oliver Moore shouted, ‘‘Bye, Caleb!’’ Then he muttered quietly to reporters, ‘‘Pretty cool to get to say that.’’

The camaraderie among the stars of the city’s various teams is cool to see. Chicagoans still are waiting for the Hawks to mimic the Cubs’ and Bears’ revivals into playoff teams, however.

Toews’ adjustment

Toews talked early Monday about hoping to be able to compartmentalize the emotions around his Chicago return enough to focus on the game. He ended up generating several good looks in a little more than 18 minutes of ice time, but he failed to crack Knight.

The Jets, who have the NHL’s second-worst record a season after claiming the 2025 Presidents’ Trophy, need every victory they can get to make a playoff push. They’re three points behind the Hawks and seven points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Things haven’t been entirely sunny for Toews this season, either. Before a recent hot streak highlighted by goals in four consecutive games, he struggled badly throughout November and December.

‘‘[This season has] definitely been an adjustment,’’ Toews said. “There’s a lot of things I didn’t really predict or foresee. Even acclimating to a new group is something that I wasn’t really quite expecting. The game’s always changing. The league’s getting better.

‘‘But as time went along, I’ve been able to feel more comfortable, find my game, settle in and find a role on this team, as well.’’