Maple Leafs, Panthers show support for Jets' Mark Scheifele
The hearts of the Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers were with Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele on Sunday.
As the Leafs and Panthers prepared for Game 7 of their second-round series at Scotiabank Arena, both sides expressed condolences after Scheifele's father, Brad Scheifele, passed away unexpectedly overnight on Friday.
Hours after learning of his dad's passing, Mark Scheifele played in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.
'First and foremost, I think everyone in our locker room and certainly in the hockey world, is in mourning and feeling for him,' Leafs centre John Tavares said. 'Incredibly difficult news, extremely sad. We feel for him and are thinking about him and his family and wishing them the best.
'Pretty incredible effort, I thought he put forth last night in the way he competed and played, got a big goal for their team. I can only imagine how difficult it is for him right now.'
Scheifele played 18 minutes 51 seconds and scored the Jets' only goal in a 2-1 loss that ended Winnipeg's season. Scheifele was serving a tripping minor when Stars defenceman Thomas Harley scored in overtime. Dallas won the best-of-seven series 4-2.
Before taking questions during his morning media availability, Panthers coach Paul Maurice opened with some words of support for Scheifele, his family and the Jets. Maurice coached Scheifele for nine seasons in Winnipeg from 2013-22.
'On behalf of myself and my family and the entire Florida Panther organization, our deepest sympathies and condolences to Mark Scheifele, his family and the Winnipeg Jets family,' Maurice said. 'The Scheifele family is very close.
'The display of courage and focus for Mark to do what he did and possibly an even greater display of the power of the family, of the Scheifele family, the Winnipeg Jets family for him to have played with his brothers, and that extends out to (coach) Scott Arniel and (general manager) Kevin Cheveldayoff and (Jets executive) Mark Chipman and all the Winnipeg Jets fans who a culture of family there that allowed that inspiration to happen.
'Thank you to them for that display, and also our condolences to them.'
A year before the Leafs chose Morgan Rielly with the fifth pick in the 2012 draft, the Jets picked Scheifele with the seventh pick in 2011.
In their respective hockey careers, Rielly and Scheifele have been teammates five times in international events — on four occasions with Hockey Canada and once with Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
'Knowing Mark and his family, it's something that I can't imagine,' Rielly said. 'All the credit in the world to him and his teammates and everyone in Winnipeg for pulling together. We'll be thinking about Mark and his family.'
Panthers forward Brad Marchand was on the 2016 Canada team at the world championship with Scheifele and Rielly.
'An extremely tragic situation,' Marchand said. 'Our deepest condolences to Mark and his family. It's the worst possible thing you can go through, is losing a loved one.
'What he did last night was incredible. There's very few people who could have found the strength to play through something like that. To go out and to play the way he did and step up for his team, his family must be extremely proud of him and his dad would be. So much respect and love for him and his family. Those moments are much bigger than the game.'
Leafs coach Craig Berube might have concurred.
'My heart goes out to him and his family,' Berube said. 'The courage he showed to play that game, and played well. It's a terrible situation.
'You feel for him, but I understand why he played. I really do. That's a tough day for everybody there.'
tkoshan@postmedia.com
X: @koshtorontosun
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