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RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Mark Scheifele said his support systems on the day his father passed were amazing. The Winnipeg Jets\u2019 centre praised his mom for encouraging him to suit up for Game 6 against the Dallas Stars.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the easiest of days,\u201d Scheifele said in an exclusive interview earlier this week at Team Canada\u2019s orientation camp in Calgary. \u201cReally, really tough to wake up to that news. It\u2019s tough to put into words actually, how I got through that day. But obviously, I have a lot of amazing people around me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those amazing people ranged from family members, teammates, friends and even opponents, as Scheifele would see hours later during the hardest handshake line he\u2019s ever had to work his way through.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough to put into words actually, how I got through that day. But obviously, I have a lot of amazing people around me.\u201d\u2013Mark Scheifele<\/p>\n
That Scheifele chose to suit up in the game under such excruciating circumstances was impressive to witness, but when you hear him share details about the conversation he had with his mother that morning, his participation was never really in doubt.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom was pretty strong,\u201d said Scheifele. \u201cJust talking to me about playing and what my dad would have wanted. It was pretty special to play in that game, to see the support from my best friends and my family \u2014 and even people around the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
People around the league were watching as Scheifele walked into the arena beside Jets teammate Josh Morrissey.<\/p>\n
They were watching when Scheifele scored at 5:28 of the second period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead, and they were watching when he was in the penalty box serving a tripping penalty in the early stages of the first overtime as Thomas Harley delivered the series-clinching goal.<\/p>\n
The scene that followed was a combination of heartbreaking and uplifting.<\/p>\n
The TV camera panned to Scheifele dropping his head in the box in disbelief \u2014 a cruel ending to an already painful day.<\/p>\n
Jets captain Adam Lowry skated over to the penalty box and wrapped his arms around Scheifele.<\/p>\n
There were embraces with his teammates and then words of encouragement and extra-long embraces from Stars players and head coach Peter DeBoer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough to hold back the emotions right now,\u201d said Scheifele, asked to describe his thoughts in the moment. \u201cSome of the things that guys said were pretty heartwarming. To see the respect and \u2014 it just shows how great of a hockey community the NHL is and hockey players, in general.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made me feel very special and loved. That handshake line will be something that I remember for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Mark Scheifele (centre) said \u2018it was pretty special to play in that game,\u2019 as the centre had received support from his family, friends \u2018and even people from around the league.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThat handshake line will be something that I remember for the rest of my life.\u201d\u2013Mark Scheifele<\/p>\n Although he\u2019s an incredibly private person, Scheifele shared that he\u2019s doing the best he can under the circumstances, conceding that the grieving process is still in the early stages.<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout the entire summer, there are good days and bad days,\u201d said Scheifele. \u201cIn the moment, I just tried to focus on the hockey and get through the two-and-a-half hours of playing and playing with my brothers. It definitely hasn\u2019t been the easiest of summers, especially for my mom and a lot of my family.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m definitely excited to get back to playing hockey again. Sometimes that distraction is good and, sometimes, you\u2019ve got to get through the tough days to appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n One of those brighter days this summer came when he got a call in Ireland while on a golf trip with Morrissey, Eric Comrie and several friends to let him know he was one of the 42 players on the men\u2019s side to receive an invitation to the Olympic orientation camp.<\/p>\n Although he was left off Canada\u2019s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Scheifele was on standby right up until the break last season, waiting to see if an injury might prevent Sidney Crosby or Anthony Cirelli from playing.<\/p>\n Ultimately, no spot was available for Scheifele at that event, but he continued his excellent season on a rampage \u2014 handling the disappointment like a true professional.<\/p>\n Scheifele left enough of an impression on Canada\u2019s management team to have him firmly in the mix to make his way to Italy in February.<\/p>\n Receiving this invitation was the first step, and it will be incumbent on Scheifele to have an excellent start to the campaign to ensure he\u2019ll be among the 25 players on the final roster.<\/p>\n Morrissey firmly believes Scheifele is one of the best players in the NHL and would be thrilled to share the experience of being Olympians together in February.<\/p>\n \u201cHe really took his game to another level last year,\u201d said Morrissey. \u201cRealistically, all year, but from when the team was announced and on, he really used it as motivation and went to another level that we all witnessed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looks amazing on the ice right now and, hopefully, we can both be part of this team and have a chance to represent our country and win a gold medal.\u201d<\/p>\n Scheifele is excited to get back to the routine of being in Winnipeg and preparing for the new season.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t GARETH PATTERSON \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Jets centre Mark Scheifele (55) had the lone goal for Winnipeg in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars back in May. Scheifele was back on the ice for the men\u2019s national hockey Olympic orientation camp this past week in Calgary.<\/p>\n He\u2019s eager to get on the ice with three-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Toews and to pick his brain about a number of topics.<\/p>\n Scheifele, who has spent a good chunk of the summer in Calgary, wasn\u2019t as surprised as some folks when pictures of Lowry\u2019s return to the ice three months after hip surgery were posted on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew it was coming very soon. I knew he was feeling really good,\u201d said Scheifele. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously promising news to see him on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite dealing with the frustration of getting knocked out of the second round of the playoffs after a Presidents\u2019 Trophy winning season last spring, Scheifele believes the latest batch of lessons learned by the Jets will help them as this latest pursuit begins in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t \u201cThe goal is a Stanley Cup and that\u2019s what we want. I believe we have the team to do that,\u201d said Scheifele, who had 39 goals and a career-high 87 points in 82 games last season before adding five goals and 11 points in 11 playoff contests.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the way you have to look at it. If you look at it any other way, it\u2019s just going to bring you down. We had a great season last year, we had a great team. A lot of big stepping stones to get to that ultimate goal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to get there, but we have a group that is committed to that and we have an ownership group and management and coaches that are committed to that. And that makes it very special.\u201d<\/p>\n ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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