The Amount Of Love And Respect Mark Scheifele Received In The Handshake Line After The Passing Of His Father Shows There's No Brotherhood Quite Like The NHL
Icon Sportswire. Getty Images.The Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about trying to destroy anybody out on the ice who is wearing a different colored jersey. You look at some of these series that have went down in these playoffs so far, and they've looked more like warzones at times than a hockey game. Even this Dallas vs Winnipeg series got off the rails a few times, and these are two teams that don't have a ton of animosity towards one another.
But hockey players, almost more than any other major professional athletes, understand that there's life beyond that 200'x85' sheet of ice. They understand that the game is the game, but that there are things that are far more important once that game is over with. And unfortunately for Mark Scheifele, he had to go through one of the worst moments in his life yesterday.
Now obviously I don't know anything about the relationship between Mark Scheifele and his father. But if I had to guess, Brad Scheifele was most likely's Mark's hero growing up. Countless hours spent traveling together from hockey tournament to hockey tournament. I'd imagine Mark Scheifele is the man he is today because of his old man, and yesterday had to be one of the most difficult days imaginable for him. But one of the best things about sports is how it can act as medicine to get through tough times like this. Obviously you want to be with your family during those times, but if there's anything that could help him get through the day it would be getting back out on the ice. So he stayed in the lineup last night, and put home the first goal of the game in the 2nd period.
In a perfect world, the Jets hold on to win that game 1-0 for Scheifele and his family. But things didn't work out that way, the Stars scored a few minutes later to tie it up, and eventually Thomas Harley scored the game winner in overtime for Dallas to eliminate the Jets in game 6 of the 2nd round.
The game was over and it was immediately time for everyone on the ice to make sure Mark Scheifele received all the respect and support he could get.
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I think this one sums it up the best.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about trying to destroy anybody out on the ice who is wearing a different colored jersey. But at the end of the day, they're all a bunch of guys with skates on their feet playing the game that they loved since they were a kid. At the end of the day, whatever logo they're wearing on the front of their jersey doesn't mean anything. It's all about the guys under the jersey, and both the Stars and Jets made sure to let Scheifele feel that last night. Special moment for sure.