Latest news with #Scheifele
Boston Globe
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Death of Mark Scheifele's father, then the cruel finish to his Jets' playoff series, highlighted the humanity of sports
Then we have last Saturday night in Dallas. A handshake line like no other, for its quintessential display of humanity and the tumble of emotion that swirled around Mark Scheifele, who mourned his father's death while at the same time dealt with a cruel finish that had him sitting alone in the penalty box, head down, as Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We were all just absolutely gutted for him,' said Dallas forward Sam Steel, who dutifully, almost funereally, lined up and shook hands with Scheifele and the rest of the vanquished Jets after a 2-1 overtime capper. 'I'm not sure I could do what he did tonight . . . he played his heart out.' Advertisement Scheifele, 32 and a cornerstone of the Jets' offense, lost his father, Brad, to a brief illness May 17. One of their alternate captains, Scheifele decided he'd play that night. It was an elimination game. He'd play in large part, noted his coaches and teammates, because he knew that's what his father would want. Advertisement Brad Scheifele was that father, he told a Canadian Press reporter years ago, always ready to fire tennis balls on net when young Mark dreamed of being a goalie. The shooting sessions would end, Brad told the reporter, with Mark always chirping, 'Another 100 shots, Dad!' Brad died at a hospital not far from home in Kitchener, Ontario, where Mark grew up learning and loving the game. Early in the second period, Saturday night began to shape up as a Hallmark movie, Scheifele connecting for What a moment for 55 ☺️ 🥹 — Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) Smiling, joyous, Scheifele looked unburdened in that moment, like life hadn't changed. He looked like that kid ready for another 100 shots, hugging his jubilant teammates and racing over to smack gloves along the Jets' bench. Less than six minutes later, Steel knocked home his first goal of the postseason, squaring it at 1-1. There the score remained, into the waning seconds of the third period, until . . . Again it was Steel, off to the races on a sure breakaway path to the Jets' net. With no choice, Scheifele hauled down Steel just inside the blue line. The two-minute tripping minor set up the Stars with the night's lone power play. Advertisement Mark Scheifele of the Jets talks to referee Dan O'Rourke after Scheifele was issued a tripping penalty in the third period of Game 6 against the Stars, leading to the winning goal in overtime. Gareth Patterson/Associated Press I've watched hockey a long, long time, hooked on it as a kid in the early 1960s, now having chronicled it for nearly 50 years. I decided long ago there is no sport like it, for its suspense, for its crazy outcomes and calls, its guaranteed playoff drama. Never have I sat there, watching the opening moment of an OT unfold, muttering aloud, 'Kill the penalty. Come on, just kill it. It can't end like this for this kid.' And, bam, Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley stepped into a clear shot and drove home the dagger with 1:33 gone in OT and 12 ticks remaining on the tripping minor. The TV camera trained on a disconsolate Scheifele, not moving, head down in the penalty box. In a span of less than 24 hours, Scheifele lost his father, summoned the courage to play on, got out there to honor his father and help his teammates, and then sat there by himself in the penalty box. Season over. Dream of the Stanley Cup gone. The text of the game summary forever will trace the OT winner to Scheifele's tripping minor at 19:45. Cruel. BACK IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL 🌟 Thomas Harley scores the Subway Canada OT winner in Game 6 for the Stars — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) Adam Lowry, the classy Jets captain, promptly skated to the penalty box, refusing to let Scheifele live through it alone. Arm around Scheifele, the captain's poignant gesture perfectly met the moment. Enough. Time to go. Then first in the handshake line, Scheifele was met by Stars captain Jamie Benn, who took extra time to share words. To the earlier point, it was Benn who on Thursday night got ejected, and later fined, for a dirty shot he delivered to Scheifele's face during a scrum. Now here was Benn, sincerely concerned, hugging the guy he mugged two nights earlier. Hockey. Advertisement Most Jets players and team staff were in Kitchener on Thursday for Brad Scheifele's funeral. Mark Chipman, chairman of True North Sports & Entertainment, picked up the tab for the charter jet. 'The way 'Scheif' handled playing that day,' Lowry mused before boarding the flight east, 'the way he performed, unbelievable. Such a courageous act by him.' We too often forget, as fans, and especially as media, that the humanity of sports is at the core of all this craziness that gets fashioned and branded into a multibillion-dollar industry. The humanity is really why we watch, care, invest. It is the people, the athletes, with all their strengths and vulnerabilities, their moments of triumph and defeat, so often the things that have nothing to do with what uniform they wear, or their number on a roster. We're increasingly caught up and dragged down by narratives driven by analytics and gambling and salary caps and police reports. Rarely nowadays is the story as emotionally raw, as riveting, as it was last Saturday night in Dallas. Mark Scheifele, a penalty, a knockout goal, a handshake line, and a father with those 100 shots reminded us. The best stories are always the people. Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
A look at our passion for the Jets, now and then
Opinion This has been an unprecedented year for hockey passions at both international and local levels. In February, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's assault on Canada's sovereignty through his tariff war, the 4 Nations Face-Off, a midseason kind-of-international tourney (absent Russia), saw Canada win over the Americans in the championship match, igniting a wave of national euphoria. Closer to home, the Winnipeg Jets, who raced out of the gate in October to a 15-1 start, were en route to a first-ever President's Trophy, as the points leader in the NHL regular season. Expectations were high entering the playoffs that the Jets could exceed their 2017/2018 run, and make it all the way to the Stanley Cup final. Round 1 saw hockey fever rise and a Game 7 overtime win that defied the odds. Both the game-tying goal by Cole Perfetti, with less than two seconds left in regulation time, and the winning goal by Captain Adam Lowery, in double-overtime, are sporting moments for the ages when it comes to our city's rich sporting history. Round 2 against the Dallas Stars, saw the emotional rollercoaster continue. The Jets were strong at home and unable to win on the road. Passions were high throughout the city. I watched most games with my daughter and twin grandsons, and yes, we wore whiteout T-shirts. Game 6, a must-win for the Jets, in Dallas, began with the heartbreaking news that star centre Mark Scheifele's father Brad had passed away just hours before the game began. Scheifele played, and was the team's best forward, scoring the team's only goal. Ironically, he started the overtime period in the penalty box, having likely saved a goal late in the third period on a Dallas breakaway. The Stars scored, and the Jets 'season to remember' ended on a poignant note, with Scheifele the recipient of an outpouring of emotion from players on both teams. The Jets' season ended, but it would be hard to argue that the team did not ignite the passions of the community writ large It was a very different, but equally passionate scene, 30 years ago when the public campaign to save the Jets 1.0 franchise failed and the team left after the Spring 1996 playoffs for Phoenix, Ariz. The economics of professional hockey in the pre-salary cap era in a small city like Winnipeg with an aging arena, did not work. A monthslong public campaign spurred emotions, saw kids empty their piggy banks in support of a fundraising campaign, saw city council flounder, and ultimately, corporate Winnipeg refuse to put forward the necessary financial support, leading to a boisterous, messy and at times, divisive debate. This murkier chapter in the Jets history is well-documented in the book Thin Ice – Money, Politics, and the Demise of an NHL Franchise, by professor Jim Silver. Silver, and his University of Winnipeg colleague, Dr. Carl Ridd, were the face of the Thin Ice Coalition that openly questioned the propriety of a public bailout of the Jets at the behest of corporate Winnipeg interests. Silver, a hockey player in his youth and fan of the game, stated that the campaign to save the Jets was worthy; he wrote that the team was a 'valuable community asset … culturally and emotionally.' He also argued that the campaign to save the team went too far. Costs escalated so high he argued that it forced 'a consideration of fundamental questions that are not only political and economic, but also ethical.' Silver asked, 'Is it appropriate to spend tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars on professional sports when … children are lining up at food banks?' A wide array of noted writers spoke out on the conservative nature of the Winnipeg business community wanting to force public financing for a private venture they themselves would not support, including columnist John Robertson, writer Roy McGregor and Olympian and professor of physical and health education Bruce Kidd. Professor David Whitson, co-author (with Richard Gruneau) of the widely acclaimed book, Hockey Night in Canada: Sport, Identities and Cultural Politics, offered sage advice in the foreword he wrote to Silver's book where he said: '…we have to stop and think about what we mean when we say that professional sports teams benefit the whole community, for they do so very unequally. We also have to recognize that our interests as fans, however powerfully felt, may not coincide with our interests as citizens.' Three decades on, I celebrate the passion and power of the 2025 Jets run. As well, I remember the important lessons from Spring 1995. Paul Moist is a retired labour leader.
Global News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Jets will grow stronger after emotionally challenging end to season: Hellebuyck
Connor Hellebuyck knows how strong bonds can grow when a group deals with adversity. That's why the Winnipeg Jets star goaltender believes the team will rally after a disappointing — and emotionally challenging — end to its NHL season, and be better for it. 'I think this playoff run, there was a lot of learning curves and a lot of things that we've learned and can take away,' Hellebuyck said Tuesday when some players had their final media interviews. 'I know this group is going to get a lot better from that. Not only did we get tighter as a family, but our game got tighter and we're going to continue to grow that and build that.' The Jets won the Presidents' Trophy this year with a franchise-record 56 wins and 116 points in the regular season, but the curse of the award followed them into the playoffs. Since it was awarded in 1985-86, only eight winners have captured the Stanley Cup. Story continues below advertisement Winnipeg bettered its previous two post-season first-round exits by winning the opening round in a dramatic Game 7 double-overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues. Next up was the Dallas Stars, who eliminated the Jets 2-1 in a Game 6 that was an emotional wringer for top-centre Mark Scheifele and his teammates. Scheifele learned the morning of the game that his 68-year-old father, Brad, had unexpectedly died overnight. He decided to play for his dad and even scored the game's first goal, but was in the penalty box when Stars defenceman Thomas Harley netted the winner 1:33 into overtime. Jets captain Adam Lowry went to the box to console Scheifele, who was then hugged by his teammates. Dallas players also embraced the Kitchener, Ont., product in the handshake line. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Forward Vladislav Namestnikov said the way the team supported Scheifele could be a motivator heading into next season. 'Yeah, 100 per cent,' he said. 'That was a very sad day, but I thought Mark was a trooper. The team rallied around him. 'It's not the result that we wanted at the end of the day, but I thought it brought the group even closer.' Veteran defenceman Josh Morrissey described Scheifele as his best friend. 'It was tough. Beyond inspiring by Mark,' he said. 'And everyone knows how proud Brad would have been watching him play.' Story continues below advertisement Morrissey's father died in 2021. He said Scheifele was there for him then, and now he'll do everything to help his friend. He has talked to Scheifele since he went home to be with his family and prepare for his dad's funeral this week that teammates will attend. Morrissey had to wait until Scheifele came off the ice to give him a hug because the blue liner was injured late in the second period of that final game against Dallas and didn't return. His left leg got caught under Stars forward Mikko Rantanen when they collided into the boards. Morrissey said no surgery is required from the ligament injury, but it would have been season-ending had the Jets continued in the playoffs. PLAYING THROUGH PAIN Jets defenceman Luke Schenn missed the second and third games in the Dallas series and revealed he had cracked a couple of ribs during the third period of Game 2 against the Blues. 'I just went to go hit a guy and felt it right there,' he said. 'It's not (the same as broken), but I'm not the doctor. But all I know is it doesn't feel great.' SUPPORT FROM FAR AND WIDE After news of the death of Scheifele's father broke, a Stars fan took to social media and urged people to show their support by donating to a charity linked to Scheifele. One amount suggested was $55 to represent his jersey number. Story continues below advertisement 'The fact that people have been showing support regardless of who they cheer for, I think that's what sport is all about,' Morrissey said. Director of corporate communications Krista Sinaisky said in an email that True North Youth Foundation had received 1,065 donations totalling $72,000 by Tuesday morning. It includes $5,500 from the Dallas Stars and a matching amount by SkipTheDishes. 'The True North Youth Foundation is honoured to use these funds to meaningfully impact youth in our community in honour of Brad Scheifele and will work with Mark and his family to do so in a way that builds legacy for their family,' Sinaisky wrote.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Everything that we're going through is bringing us closer together'
The pain was evident as Josh Morrissey limped into the Winnipeg Jets dressing room on Tuesday to clean out his locker and meet the media for one final time this year. It wasn't from the serious knee injury the team's top defenceman suffered Saturday night in Dallas, which knocked him out of what would ultimately be a season-ending overtime loss to the Stars. 'No surgery. Kind of best-case,' Morrissey said. 'But I would have probably been out for the rest of the playoffs.' Nor was it from reflecting on how a concussion chased him from a thrilling, season-saving overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of their previous series. Or how illness kept him from suiting up for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final back in February — a game that would also end with an overtime triumph and a gold medal. 'You can feel sorry for yourself or (call it) unlucky or whatever you want, but it is what it is,' Morrissey said on missing out on so many pivotal moments. JASON FRANSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Josh Morrissey revealed he would probably have been out for the rest of the playoffs after he injured his knee Saturday night in Dallas. JASON FRANSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Josh Morrissey revealed he would probably have been out for the rest of the playoffs after he injured his knee Saturday night in Dallas. No, the reason for his hurt had everything to do with his best friend, Mark Scheifele, and the series of events that transpired as the NHL's No. 1 regular-season team saw its dream of a Stanley Cup come to a screeching, heartbreaking halt. 'Just a devastating day,' Morrissey said quietly. Scheifele's father, Brad, died early Saturday morning. Morrissey called him an 'incredible man,' someone he'd spent plenty of time with over the years due to his closeness with the entire family. At hockey rinks, golf courses and dinner tables, among other places. Although he'd been battling an illness and 'we knew behind the scenes obviously a little bit of what was going on, nobody really saw that coming,' said Morrissey. 'Unfortunately, I've been through it with my dad (Tom, who died of cancer in 2021),' he said. 'Just a flood of emotion. And what (Scheifele) was able to do mentally to play that game and play as well as he did, and obviously score that goal, it's inspiring to me as his best friend.' Scheifele gave the Jets a 1-0 lead against the Stars, setting the stage for a potential storybook finish. But not only did Dallas tie the game, Scheifele took a tripping penalty with 14 seconds left in the third period which led to the power-play winner in overtime. GARETH PATTERSON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Mark Scheifele's father, Brad, died early Saturday morning. GARETH PATTERSON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Mark Scheifele's father, Brad, died early Saturday morning. Morrissey wasn't able to rush to the penalty box to console Scheifele — the way that captain Adam Lowry did — since he was already out of the game with his own injury that occurred in the second period following an awkward collision with Stars forward Mikko Rantanen. But he was there for him in the hallway as a devastated Scheifele made his way to the room inside a raucous American Airlines Center — the same way he had walked into the rink that afternoon by his teammate's side. 'I knew the emotion that was going to flood out of Mark when he came off the ice and what he was probably holding back the entire day and game. All you can do is try and be there for your friend, like he was for me,' said Morrissey. Prior to puck drop, his mother shared a message she had sent to Scheifele's mother, Mary Lou, in which she mentioned how Tom Morrissey and Brad Scheifele, along with Kyle Connor's late father, Joe, 'would be up there having their drink of choice and watching the game.' 'This is a big family here. Everybody felt that loss,' Connor said Tuesday. 'Everybody is different with how they grieve and deal with that stuff. I just kind of let him be by himself a little bit throughout the game. I'm sure throughout the course of the summer, we will have those conversations. They come. I have had those with Josh.' Scheifele's grief was being shared throughout the Jets room by teammates old and new. Defenceman Luke Schenn jokingly called Brad Scheifele his 'billet grandfather,' noting that he had spent several weeks living in Scheifele's home after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Penguins. 'His dad was here and stayed at the house when we were together, and I got to know him and he's just the most genuine, nicest guy you could ever meet,' said Schenn. 'Going into that game, the whole morning skate, there was tears because obviously people knew them. Tears for Scheif, silence, it was not your typical game day where you're going into an elimination game where everyone's pretty upbeat and great energy. It was kind of the opposite, which is expected when something like that happens to a teammate and family.' Schenn described how Scheifele, an alternate captain with the club, was trying to rally the Jets during intermissions as he spoke with them in the dressing room. 'It was incredible the strength he showed and how much he cares about the guys in this room,' he said. 'We all wanted to do it so bad for him and his family and, unfortunately, it just didn't work that way. But, incredible what he was able to play through and score that goal too, I mean, we all had just the biggest smiles on our faces on the bench. And you knew what was happening because, obviously, his dad was looking down on him.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said the Jets are like a family after being asked about his extra-long embrace with teammate Mark Scheifele at the end of Game 6. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said the Jets are like a family after being asked about his extra-long embrace with teammate Mark Scheifele at the end of Game 6. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck spoke of the extra-long embrace he had with Scheifele on the ice following the game. The two men have a strong bond, including signing simultaneous seven-year contract extensions prior to the 2023-24 season. 'You know, we're a family in here and you can really feel it in those moments,' he said. 'Everything that we're going through is bringing us closer together and this team couldn't be any tighter. So that's what I'll say.' Players were spending Tuesday and Wednesday having exit meetings with head coach Scott Arniel and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and would typically now be going their separate ways for the summer. But there's one last team event still on the schedule — Brad Scheifele's funeral in Ontario, which they are all flying to on Thursday to be with Scheifele, who is already back home with his family. 'Being together as a team for this long, you can lean on your teammates and everybody in the room. That's where you really dig in there,' said Connor. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Morrissey said he was heartened to see that people have donated more than $60,000 to the True North Youth Foundation in Brad Scheifele's honour as a '$55 for 55' campaign took off on social media over the weekend with many Dallas fans chipping in. 'A very nice gesture,' he said. 'Sports brings so many people together. It's unifying, and for it to happen like it did and for Mark to be able to go out there and play, it's got to be inspiring for so many people. The internal strength that he had to be able to play that game is incredible. And the fact that people have been showing support regardless of who they cheer for, I think that's what sport is all about.' X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg Mike McIntyreReporter Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike. Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jets will grow stronger after emotionally challenging end to season: Hellebuyck
WINNIPEG – Connor Hellebuyck knows how strong bonds can grow when a group deals with adversity. That's why the Winnipeg Jets star goaltender believes the team will rally after a disappointing — and emotionally challenging — end to its NHL season, and be better for it. 'I think this playoff run, there was a lot of learning curves and a lot of things that we've learned and can take away,' Hellebuyck said Tuesday when some players had their final media interviews. 'I know this group is going to get a lot better from that. Not only did we get tighter as a family, but our game got tighter and we're going to continue to grow that and build that.' The Jets won the Presidents' Trophy this year with a franchise-record 56 wins and 116 points in the regular season, but the curse of the award followed them into the playoffs. Since it was awarded in 1985-86, only eight winners have captured the Stanley Cup. Winnipeg bettered its previous two post-season first-round exits by winning the opening round in a dramatic Game 7 double-overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues. Next up was the Dallas Stars, who eliminated the Jets 2-1 in a Game 6 that was an emotional wringer for top-centre Mark Scheifele and his teammates. Scheifele learned the morning of the game that his 68-year-old father, Brad, had unexpectedly died overnight. He decided to play for his dad and even scored the game's first goal, but was in the penalty box when Stars defenceman Thomas Harley netted the winner 1:33 into overtime. Jets captain Adam Lowry went to the box to console Scheifele, who was then hugged by his teammates. Dallas players also embraced the Kitchener, Ont., product in the handshake line. Forward Vladislav Namestnikov said the way the team supported Scheifele could be a motivator heading into next season. 'Yeah, 100 per cent,' he said. 'That was a very sad day, but I thought Mark was a trooper. The team rallied around him. 'It's not the result that we wanted at the end of the day, but I thought it brought the group even closer.' Veteran defenceman Josh Morrissey described Scheifele as his best friend. 'It was tough. Beyond inspiring by Mark,' he said. 'And everyone knows how proud Brad would have been watching him play.' Morrissey's father died in 2021. He said Scheifele was there for him then, and now he'll do everything to help his friend. He has talked to Scheifele since he went home to be with his family and prepare for his dad's funeral this week that teammates will attend. Morrissey had to wait until Scheifele came off the ice to give him a hug because the blue liner was injured late in the second period of that final game against Dallas and didn't return. His left leg got caught under Stars forward Mikko Rantanen when they collided into the boards. Morrissey said no surgery is required from the ligament injury, but it would have been season-ending had the Jets continued in the playoffs. PLAYING THROUGH PAIN Jets defenceman Luke Schenn missed the second and third games in the Dallas series and revealed he had cracked a couple of ribs during the third period of Game 2 against the Blues. 'I just went to go hit a guy and felt it right there,' he said. 'It's not (the same as broken), but I'm not the doctor. But all I know is it doesn't feel great.' SUPPORT FROM FAR AND WIDE Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. After news of the death of Scheifele's father broke, a Stars fan took to social media and urged people to show their support by donating to a charity linked to Scheifele. One amount suggested was $55 to represent his jersey number. 'The fact that people have been showing support regardless of who they cheer for, I think that's what sport is all about,' Morrissey said. Director of corporate communications Krista Sinaisky said in an email that True North Youth Foundation had received 1,065 donations totalling $72,000 by Tuesday morning. It includes $5,500 from the Dallas Stars and a matching amount by SkipTheDishes. 'The True North Youth Foundation is honoured to use these funds to meaningfully impact youth in our community in honour of Brad Scheifele and will work with Mark and his family to do so in a way that builds legacy for their family,' Sinaisky wrote. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
