When the puck nestled into the top of the net behind the crossbar and dropped to the ice, three of Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews’ teammates raised both arms in jubilation.

Toews simply raised his stick, head slightly bowed. But the smile was unmistakable.

The drought was over.

Toews finally ended his seasonlong goal drought during the Hawks’ 2-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell on Thursday. And the bonus: The goal helped give Marc-André Fleury his 500th career win.

“The shutout didn’t bother me much, I just wanted to win,” Fleury said. “Every night, that’s all I want.”

It marks a redemption story for both Hawks.

Toews had gone 25 games and 45 shots without finding the back of the net. His previous goal came Aug. 18, 2020, in a first-round playoff game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Chicago chapter of Fleury’s storied career read like horror fiction. He lost seven of his first eight starts and gave up 29 goals, a 3.63 goals-against average and .881 save percentage.

From combined wire services