The community club that helped Jonathan Toews go on to become one of the top hockey players in the world is getting a major contribution from the foundation in his name.

Dakota Community Centre announced Wednesday the Jonathan Toews Foundation will contribute $1 million towards the Dakota Futures Capital Campaign, an initiative aimed at building a 60,000-square foot fieldhouse on the grounds of the community club.

“From my earliest days playing hockey, Dakota Community Centre has always played a pivotal role in my upbringing and my career,” Toews said in a release. “Today, I continue to be honoured to have my name associated with the Sportsplex on the Dakota campus. My parents have instilled in me the importance of giving back, and I believe that in supporting Dakota, we will see endless possibilities for the community centre’s future and transformation in the lives of our community members.”

Toews will be honorary chair of the campaign.

“We are extremely grateful to Jonathan for his leadership as honorary chair of our campaign and his transformational donation to the Dakota Community Centre,” community centre chair Tom Thiessen said in a release. “His generosity reinforces our belief in the importance of access to wellness, recreation and sport programs as key to a healthy community.”

The donation is the largest private donation to a community centre in Manitoba, according to the Dakota press release.

The fieldhouse will include a 30,000-plus-square-foot gym, a three-lane track, and studio space connected to the existing Jonathan Toews Sportsplex, which was named in his honour in 2010 when he won his first Stanley Cup.