logo
Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele scores goal in Game 6 loss, just hours after his father's unexpected death

Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele scores goal in Game 6 loss, just hours after his father's unexpected death

CNN18-05-2025

Just hours after his father unexpectedly passed away, Mark Scheifele stepped out onto the ice to play for the Winnipeg Jets in their must-win Game 6 of their second-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars.
And he imposed himself on the game too, scoring the opening goal five minutes into the second quarter, which his teammates celebrated by engulfing him in a group hug.
But, later on, Scheifele had a tripping penalty with 14.8 seconds left of regulation and was in the penalty box when Thomas Harley scored the winning goal for the Stars 1:33 into overtime.
That goal secured a 2-1 win for the Stars, propelling them to the NHL Western Conference finals for the third season in a row and ending the Jets' bid for the Stanley Cup.
'(It's) heartbreaking,' said Jets captain Adam Lowry after the game, his voice thick with emotion.
'For it to end the way it did and everything else that was surrounding the day, it's just a lot of emotion, I think. It's tough to put into words what Mark went through today – it's a huge goal for us, plays a heck of a game, and it ends the way it does.'
As soon as the game was over, the Jets players once again huddled around Scheifele and many of them embraced him. The Stars players too, knowing the gravity and emotion of the day for Scheifele, hugged and talked to him in the handshake line afterward.
'We're there for him,' said Jets defenseman Neal Pionk. 'We're a family. Scheif's a big part of our family and we're here for him no matter what, we weren't leaving the ice without him. We did everything we could to get him and his family a win, just didn't pull through.'
That Scheifele played at all was remarkable. That he had a goal, won 7 of 12 faceoffs and had a team-high nine hits is even more remarkable.
'For him to go through what he had to go through, and then perform the way he did, so proud of him. And his dad would be so proud of him. He wanted to win so bad,' Jets coach Scott Arniel said afterward.
'The circumstances, so, so tough. To be in a situation like that, I couldn't imagine it. The pro that he is, the leader that he is, the year that he had with us, his dad and his family would be very proud of him.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

A slump, a meeting and Ernie Clement's rise to one of baseball's best defenders
A slump, a meeting and Ernie Clement's rise to one of baseball's best defenders

New York Times

time21 minutes ago

  • New York Times

A slump, a meeting and Ernie Clement's rise to one of baseball's best defenders

ST. LOUIS — The feeling was unfamiliar for Ernie Clement. The Toronto Blue Jays infielder found himself deep in his first real defensive rut. In May 2024, he wasn't fielding anything cleanly and couldn't make a consistent throw, committing five errors in a 12-game stretch. After his final fielding mistake — a toss from third base that soared way high and skittered into the camera well — Clement stared across the infield, a blank expression on his face. The error prompted a meeting with Blue Jays infield coach Carlos Febles and associate manager DeMarlo Hale. The trio hoped to bust the slump and re-find Clement's fielding form. Instead, it unlocked a new level. Advertisement With a revamped pregame routine, Clement played perfect, errorless defence in his next 20 contests. He finished last season as the Blue Jays' top defensive infielder and was an American League Gold Glove finalist at third base. The impacts of that meeting still linger, as Clement establishes himself as one of baseball's best and most versatile defenders. 'It's easy to say, 'Hey, we need to be fundamentally this and fundamentally that,'' Hale said. 'You can use that word, but you have to have some actions behind it. And I think, to sum it up, Ernie put the actions behind it.' Clement never had to think about defence as he rose to MLB. For the 29-year-old, it was all athleticism and instincts. His agent, Steve Skrinar, sat beside a Cleveland scout during one of Clement's final games at the University of Virginia in 2017. The junior shortstop charged in on a ball, bare-handing the bouncer before firing on to first. 'That's O-Dog reminiscent,' Skrinar said, invoking longtime Jays infielder and four-time Gold Glove winner Orlando Hudson. 'Yeah, that's spot on,' the Cleveland cross-checker responded. A few weeks later, the Guardians selected Clement in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. In his first three MLB seasons, Clement graded out as an above-average defender, but was lost in the shadow of elite Cleveland infielders José Ramírez and Andrés Giménez. Febles saw the potential for more — and told him in that fateful meeting. 'You have good hands, arm,' Febles said. 'You have everything to be a real good defender. We need to kind of pick it up a little bit in terms of the preparation to lock it in.' After the meeting, Clement began taking pre-game grounders at game speed. The pace of hits quickened and the spray of balls widened, challenging the infielder's range. He added hand activation drills into the warmup, too, fielding quick hits off a machine to work on feel. Weeks after the meeting, Clement's defensive confidence was back. Advertisement 'June or July last year, I felt like I was never going to miss a ball,' Clement said. 'This year, I've carried it over and I feel really confident with the work that I've put in.' Clement currently ranks as the ninth-most valuable defender in the sport per Baseball Savant (plus-8 fielding runs). Despite Gold Glovers Daulton Varsho and Giménez missing extended stretches, Clement's elevated defence has kept Toronto as a top-five fielding team. He's the third-best defensive infielder and the only member of the top 12 to play more than one position. Manning every infield position in 2025, Clement embraces versatility. He's even pitched for the Jays in prior years and is the team's emergency catcher. With Addison Barger emerging at third base and Giménez locked in at second, Clement's ability to move around allows manager John Schneider to keep his .273 average and team-leading 1.9 WAR (per Baseball-Reference) consistently in the lineup. Before last year, Clement never played more than 70 games in a season. This year, versatility has earned him time in 65 of Toronto's 67 games. Eventually, it may earn him gold. Clement and Houston's Mauricio Dubón are the only players in baseball to rank within baseball's top 30 defensive players while manning more than three defensive spots. Those play-anywhere guys were once forgotten warriors, but in 2022, MLB introduced a utility Gold Glove award in each league honoring the top defenders who play multiple positions. If Clement keeps bare-handing balls and bouncing around Toronto's infield, he can become the fourth player and first Blue Jay to win the AL utility Gold Glove. If gold gets stitched onto Clement's glove, it'll come thanks, in part, to that May 2024 slump and the meeting that followed. 'Since then, I feel like I'm starting to climb the ladder,' Clement said. 'In terms of where I want to be.' Advertisement Toronto survived a four-run fourth inning and three-run ninth from the Cardinals, holding on to win 10-9 on Tuesday. Giménez hit his first homer since March, and Alejandro Kirk kept his hot streak alive with a second blast in as many nights. The Toronto backstop has 11 hits and six RBI in his last five games, hitting over .430 in June. 'Kirky doesn't say a lot of words,' pitcher Chris Bassitt said. 'But then all of a sudden he goes out there and plays some of the best defence, and his offence is off the charts right now. So, obviously, he's carrying our team. And it's just fun.' The win pushed the Jays to 37-30 on the season, four games behind the Yankees for top spot in the American League East.

Blues fan survey results: High confidence in Doug Armstrong heading into final year as GM
Blues fan survey results: High confidence in Doug Armstrong heading into final year as GM

New York Times

time2 hours ago

  • New York Times

Blues fan survey results: High confidence in Doug Armstrong heading into final year as GM

ST. LOUIS — If The Athletic had posted the Blues offseason fan survey when the playoffs ended in May, there might have been more emotion involved. So we let the sting of a 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets in Game 7 simmer for a bit before asking for your votes to our 20 questions. That was the right call, because there appears to be a lot of rational thinking in the responses. Advertisement In all, nearly 1,800 subscribers participated in the survey, which is a great turnout. Thank you, and enjoy the read! Many wondered how much the Game 7 loss to Winnipeg changed the outlook of the season, and now after some reflection, we have our answer. The majority of you were still impressed (51.3 percent), while the number of those left disappointed was slightly less (45.3 percent). Now I'm curious what the percentages would have been if the Blues had beaten Winnipeg and lost to Dallas in the second round. Maybe 80-90 percent? There were a lot of good options, and when I put together my rankings, I chose the hiring of Jim Montgomery. Part of the reason I went with Montgomery was because he signed a five-year contract and touches the entire organization, while Holloway and Broberg have one season left on their contracts and occupy a couple of roster spots. But I can make a case for Holloway and Broberg, who could be re-signed, being the right answer. It's crazy to think that in Year 15 of a general manager's career in the same city, more than half of the voters awarded him a perfect 5. In fact, Armstrong got a 4 or better from 95 percent of voters, which is the highest grade he's received outside of the 2018-19 Stanley Cup season. It's more than justified with the quantity and quality of strong moves he made, putting the Blues in position to return to the playoffs. As someone who's covered Steen since he came to St. Louis in 2008, I believe he'll do well because he's a hard worker and drips hockey knowledge. But I cherish honesty and the results show fans being honest, with slightly more voters voicing skepticism (16.7 percent) than those saying he'll do a great job (14.2 percent). That said, Steen has a lot of fans in his corner, with the majority (65.8 percent) saying they'll be supportive. After the seasons Holloway and Broberg had, most agreed keeping them in the fold is No. 1. The rest of the results are interesting. For a team that needs a center, I would've thought that option would've won more heavily than it did over trading Justin Faulk and/or Nick Leddy (28.1 to 25 percent). I also would've thought the vocal group of fans wanting to trade Jordan Kyrou would've been, well, more vocal (5.5 percent). I don't really agree with the results on the contracts for Holloway or Broberg. I understand the desire to play it safe and have them prove a little more, but I think we saw enough to know that they're going to be in the league for a long time. So if you can get them signed to maximum eight-year extensions for $1 million more AAV ($7-8 million), that would've been my choice. Advertisement For Broberg in particular, the Blues have been looking for a lanky, left-shot defenseman who can skate for a long time, and they finally found him — and he's only 23 years old. Sure, Armstrong has handcuffed himself with a few long-term deals to Justin Faulk, Torey Krug and Nick Leddy, but mainly because they were older. That's not the situation here. What if Blues fans were asked about signing an unnamed player who had 100-plus points last season? I wonder how much of the resounding result (77.3 percent) is the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs have underachieved for years as a team and Marner has been a focal point of that. I'm not saying that's the reason — there's also damning video evidence of him not being the grittiest at playoff time and a projected $13 million AAV. With the way Bennett has played for Florida this postseason, I figured he would win in a landslide. But while he did receive the highest total (39.1 percent), he will also likely be overpaid in free agency with a long-term deal will take him into his mid-30s. Thus, a lot of votes came in for Tavares, Granlund or Suter, who can add needed depth up the middle at a more reasonable cost. I figured this would be a high number, but wow! This offseason, Pittsburgh's Mike Sullivan and Vancouver's Rick Tocchet become available, and yet 93.5 percent of voters are thrilled with Montgomery. I feel like even if the Blues had missed the playoffs, the percentage of fans behind Montgomery still would've been high, but certainly he helped his cause. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with a full training camp. I reported in a recent mailbag that it could take until after the Stanley Cup Final before we know whether the Blues' entire coaching staff will be back. There might be other opportunities for some, but again, we'll know soon. In the meantime, we asked fans who should return, and Ott, an assistant for eight seasons, got the most support. David Alexander, who's worked wonders with the goalies, was deservedly next. Thomas didn't get much love from the Selke Trophy voters, finishing 21st behind Buffalo's Alex Tuch (15th), Minnesota's Marcus Foligno (16th) and LA's Phillip Danault (17th). Two things: First, he missed 12 games and full-season numbers would've helped. Second, he's still just 25 years old, and with the Blues missing the playoffs two of the last three seasons, it's difficult to get attention. But Blues fans have spoken. I figured with Buchnevich's role in the Game 7 collapse against Winnipeg, being partly responsible for one of the six-on-five goals against, that there might've been more criticism of the contract. But I've got to give credit to fans for their level-headed reaction — again, that's why we let the end-of-the-season emotion dissipate — in giving him the benefit of any doubt. Some fans are still concerned, but not as many as maybe expected. Fowler was mighty impressive in his 51 regular-season games with the Blues, registering nine goals and 36 points. He was equally impressive on the top defensive pairing with Colton Parayko, and they could be formidable again in what is scheduled to be the final season of Fowler's contract in 2025-26. I thought Blues fans might pick a two-year extension for the 33-year-old, but with the way Fowler skates, three doesn't seem far-fetched. Fans fell in love with the Blues' fourth line and Faksa in particular. He's a low-maintenance glue guy and assuming he wants to return, he'd come reasonably inexpensive, too. Armstrong said in his end-of-the-year press conference that the Blues have interest in re-signing the 31-year-old, so fans may get their wish. Meanwhile, Ryan Suter was a steady and reliable player, but now at 40 years old, there are likely better options. This was a hot question after Binnington led Team Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off gold medal in March. Since then, Binnington and the Blues showed everyone with their surprising trip to the playoffs that they may be further along the road to contention than people think, and moving Binnington would limit their chances of staying at the highest level. I think the number of people against the idea of exploring a trade (81.9 percent) is well higher than it would've been midseason. It's almost an unfair question because Blues fans only got to see Dvorsky play two games, and unless you traveled to Springfield, Mass., they didn't see Stenberg play at all. However, there's no way you could've watched Snuggerud down the stretch and in the playoffs and not picked him. People have been waiting since he was drafted in the first round in 2022 to see his shot, and after a sneak peek, it'll be on a full-time basis next season. A lot of credit goes to Armstrong, but the ownership group led by chairman Tom Stillman make it possible. They spent to the $88 million salary cap and beyond in 2024-25 if you count the injured players. And when Armstrong makes a decision like firing Drew Bannister and hiring Montgomery, thus having two coaches on the payroll, it's Stillman who must approve. Fans are critical of owners in many cities, so the 'A' speaks volumes. With a few questions, we like to look ahead, and whether the Blues will make the playoffs is always a popular one. Remember when Armstrong admitted a couple of seasons ago that he didn't expect the team to finish too high in the standings? Fans loved the honesty. So after a season in which the Blues ended up in the second wild-card, where will they end up? The sentiment from voters — excluding Armstrong — is that No. 3 in the Central is possible. Finally, we'll wrap up with one that gives context to the fans who are casting these votes. Just because someone goes to a lot of games doesn't make them any more knowledgeable than someone who watches every game from their comfy couch, but it does provide some insight as to who's putting their ticket dollars behind their opinions. I feel with the percentage of voters who are attending at least one game, we have good representation. (Photo of Dylan Holloway: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

How will Penguins' style of play change under new head coach Dan Muse?
How will Penguins' style of play change under new head coach Dan Muse?

New York Times

time2 hours ago

  • New York Times

How will Penguins' style of play change under new head coach Dan Muse?

Dan Muse has won wherever he's been. The new Pittsburgh Penguins head coach got his start as an assistant coach for Yale University, where he piloted the defense and focused on team structure. Yale's 2013 national championship win propelled him to become head coach for the USHL's Chicago Steel. The Steel won the 2017 Clark Cup, the first in their history, by playing a dynamic, fluid style focused on speed and puck support. That was enough to make Muse the first-ever USHL head coach to jump directly to an NHL assistant coach. Under Muse, the Nashville Predators penalty killing finished sixth in the league in back-to-back seasons. Muse then landed with the United States National Team Development Program, where his 2023 U18 squad ripped off a record 16 wins against NCAA Division I opponents and won gold over Sweden at the 2023 U18 World Championship. That landed him back in the NHL with the New York Rangers, whose penalty kill finished third in the league under Muse. Though we won't know exactly how Muse's Penguins will play until training camp, let's look back at Muse's time as a head coach in the USHL and U.S. NTDP for some common threads in his coaching philosophy. This has been Muse's specific focus in the NHL. The Rangers scored 18 short-handed goals last year, leading the second-place Florida Panthers by six. That was due, in part, to the Rangers' aggressive diamond structure, seen in this screenshot: The diamond features one forward high, one forward and one defenseman on each flank, and one defenseman in front of the net to protect the crease. The formation is particularly effective against the league's most popular power-play formation, the 1-3-1 umbrella. In the diamond penalty kill, the high forward acts as a sort of spear, having the freedom to attack the lone defenseman at the top of the 1-3-1. The flank players cover the half-walls and inner seams for protection against high-danger slot passes and one-timers. Having a player low means you don't have to sacrifice the net front for pressure. I noticed Muse's U.S. NTDP teams ran the same penalty kill as the Rangers did last season. In the next video, take a look at the Americans' diamond alignment on the PK: Muse's U.S. team allowed only two power-play goals on 22 total opportunities en route to the 2023 gold medal, finishing the tournament with a 90-plus-percent success rate on the kill. The structure wasn't the entire reason for that success. Muse's high-energy, tandem forecheck allowed forwards to work off of each other in waves to disrupt the opponent's breakout. In the tandem system, the first forward (F1) pressures the puck carrier hard, often forcing the carrier to rim the puck around the boards or rush a defenseman-to-defenseman pass behind the net. The second forward (F2) reads the F1's angle and mirrors it, cutting off the first outlet or engaging in a secondary puck battle. The forwards interchange depending on the read, which means F2 can become F1 on the fly — this keeps puck-pressure high and reactive. Tandem forechecking allows for quick counterpressure if the first wave doesn't force a turnover, essentially trapping teams in a sequence of poor exits. Muse taught this with a layered-support mindset: Each action has a coverage fallback (such as a defenseman filling in when F2 overcommits). In those clips, you can see the forwards working off of each other to align themselves in the most annoying way possible. These same tendencies exist as far back as Chicago's run through the Clark Cup in 2017. You can see what's important on the penalty kill for a Muse-coached team: layers of puck support, read-based attacks that aim to make the second and third pass difficult, and structural alignment that permits aggression without sacrificing important real estate. The breakout reveals another common thread between Muse's teams. Both the U.S. NTDP and Chicago Steel worked the puck laterally to shift the forecheck and create space in the middle of the ice. Rather than relying on static wing support or long stretch passes, Muse's breakouts favor a five-man approach — defensemen hinge behind the net, forwards collapse low in layered routes, and outlets are built through short, high-percentage reads. It's a system designed to beat pressure with poise. When the defensemen hinge behind the net, the lead forechecker becomes trapped on an island in the middle of them. The forwards are back exceptionally deep, and an easy transitional pass is made. There is so much runway to attack, and the Steel blaze down the ice for a scoring chance. I noticed similar themes from the U.S. NTDP with Muse at the helm. The focus is on the middle of the ice. Muse doesn't ask young defensemen to make hero stretch passes or wingers to win 50-50 wall battles under pressure. He designs exits with predictable layers of help. Rather than sending the wingers high and risking a turnover at the line, Muse's teams pull their forwards deep, functioning like mobile outlets. As you'll see in the next clips, this setup beats the forecheck not with a single-thread pass but by offering sequential support — every move creates the next option, and as we saw in the penalty kill, tandem work is key. All of their forwards operate under the same center-like mindset. Being so deep at the genesis of the breakout gives faster forwards the opportunity to use a lot of runway to gain speed and burn through the middle of the ice, making easy lateral passes when necessary to layered support that can carry the torch. Advertisement Let's talk about Muse's pièce de résistance. In the 2023 U18 World Championship gold medal game, Muse's Americans faced a 2-0 deficit in the third period. Sweden utilized its speed and support along the wall to beat the U.S. forecheck and exploit the American defense in transition. The Swedes exhibited frustrating control over the neutral zone and seemed to be coasting their way to gold. Until they weren't. Halfway through the third period, the U.S. stopped trying to force possession-based zone entries. Instead, the Americans started simply dumping the puck into the Swedes' zone and punishing their defense. It worked. The U.S. overwhelmed Sweden and started creating intentional chaos in the zone by springing toward dumped pucks with speed. Muse's change worked. With a faceoff deep in their own end, the Americans crashed and banged their way to a goal. Off the ensuing faceoff, the Americans made it clear they'd heard their coach's message. They went straight north, dumped the puck in and kept applying the pressure. But this was a well-coached, mobile Sweden team that began to use the Americans' overzealousness on puck pursuit against it. Utilizing the wall, Sweden made short, strong-side passes that bypassed the U.S. forecheck. The pendulum swung back in favor of the Swedes, courtesy of some tactical work in the face of the Americans' fury. The U.S. tied the score with a power-play goal off an offensive-zone penalty by Sweden, but the Americans remained under duress. So, seeing that his team's pressure was risky, Muse called off the dogs and forced Sweden to try to knife its way through a U.S. trap. Muse put forth a token forechecker to apply feigned pressure while the rest of the team sat behind the red line, ready to pounce. The decision cooled the Swedes' jets and allowed the U.S. to make some possession-based zone entries off turnovers. In this clip, notice how much the U.S. changed its forechecking approach to sit back and allow Sweden to try to navigate the mess of bodies in the neutral zone. The strategy shift got the U.S. into overtime, where Ryan Leonard took over to cap the comeback and win gold. The Penguins needed a coach who could be a builder and developer without sacrificing the tactical side. Muse may be a first-time NHL head coach, but it's very clear why he reached this point. He's shown he prefers intentional puck support in all three zones and structured systems. Crucially, though, he also has shown he can adapt on the fly. How well will that philosophy translate to an NHL roster? We'll see, but Muse's foundation is clear. That might be exactly what's needed as the Penguins enter a new phase.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store