Kids get a chance to play with Mark Scheifele at hockey camp in support of KidSport
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2015 (3769 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
With gazes focused upward and eyes stuck in deadpan stares, approximately 20 boys and girls gathered around Mark Scheifele as he shared his NHL wisdom.
A pane of Plexiglass isn’t separating them, nor did they pay $100 for a ticket to sit in the nosebleed section, watching from afar. No. This weekend they’re sharing the ice with their Winnipeg Jets heroes — goaltender Michael Hutchinson is here, too — at the inaugural 24/7 InTouch Mark Scheifele Hockey Camp in support of KidSport.
There was nine-year-old Ethan Simcoe, who couldn’t hold back his smile following his half-hour on-ice session with his heroes. After a particularly nice save form the diminutive netminder, Scheifele skated over and gave Simcoe a fist bump.
“It was pretty cool,” said Simcoe, who also got a pat on the pads from Hutchinson.
“It gets exposure for the kids and they get to play with who they watch on TV, who they idolize,” said Ethan’s father, Troy Simcoe.
Troy said his wife, Kerri, heard about the two-day camp while driving. Being a hockey mom, she immediately pulled over and called Ethan.
“This is his first goalie camp,” Troy said. “And he’s going into the GDI (goaltending) program in August.”
KidSport is a national charity with the simple goal of providing support to children to remove financial barriers preventing them from playing organized sports. The organization approached Scheifele at the tail end of 2014.
“He didn’t even hesitate for a second. He was willing to help do anything in whatever capacity to get kids into sports,” said KidSport chairman Matt Erhard. “We asked him if he could bring another (Jet) and he was able to bring Hutch out.
“It’s great for us, with Mark being committed for the next couple of years. It allows us to generate a lot of fundraising money.”
Kids got more comfortable as the session wore on, with some even trying to bodycheck Scheifele to the ice. Others, such as Tyler Polanski, looked on, waiting for his turn on the ice with his hero.
“I’m super-excited, Scheifele is my favourite player,” Polanski said, sporting the No. 55 on the back of his Jets jersey.
Asked if he was going to pull out his best moves on Hutchinson, Polanski wasn’t sure. “Maybe, we will have to see,” he said.
“This is awesome, and Scheifele has been Tyler’s favourite player since before he was on the Jets,” said Tyler’s mom, Flannery Polanski. “It’s a dream come true. You don’t normally get the chance to be on the ice with your hockey hero, so if nothing else, it will be a great, lasting memory. You can’t beat it.”
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
Every piece of reporting Scott 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.
ASKED who is the easiest goalie to score on in the NHL, Mark Scheifele didn’t hesitate: “Michael Hutchinson,” he said. Some 20-plus kids erupted in laughter.
It wasn’t long ago Scheifele and Hutchinson were learning the basic fundamentals of hockey. They haven’t forgotten them.
There the two Winnipeg Jets young stars were, giving a little bit back at the Gateway Recreation Centre Saturday at the inaugural 24/7 InTouch Mark Scheifele Hockey Camp.
“I still remember that age, getting a chance to skate with the Kitchener Rangers and stuff like that,” Scheifele said. “It was always pretty awesome, and I always looked up to them as some pretty big role models. It’s pretty cool having the shoe on the other foot.”
The two-day event in support of KidSport is bringing together 113 kids for a chance to skate and learn with their hockey heroes.
“It’s a great organization, they do pretty great things,” Scheifele said. “It hits close to me, because as a kid, sport was the biggest part of my life. If I wasn’t at school, I had a basketball in my hand or a stick in my hand — no matter what. So to give these kids a chance to play is awesome.”
Scheifele asked Hutchinson to come along and work with the goaltenders. To the man with the seemingly permanent grin, “It was an easy answer.”
“It’s always nice to be able to give back to the cities you’ve made connections with,” Hutchinson said. “Last year, playing here allowed me to build a great connection with the city of Winnipeg.
“We always had camps growing up, but this one is different,” he said. “All the proceeds go to such a good cause. I know that almost every single hockey player, if they didn’t have sports in their life, it would be totally different.
“This kind of takes you back every time they’re excited to see you. It’s easy to forget that it’s that big of a deal, but then you remember when you were a kid and there was some NHL player there. It was definitely a good time.”
The group of hockey players turned into junior hockey reporters at the end of practice as both Scheifele and Hutchinson fielded questions.
Questions ranged from Scheifele’s favourite colour to how many assists he had last season and to who was the top Jets goal scorer.
Some even offered to show Hutchinson a thing or two between the pipes, to which Scheifele couldn’t help but take a little shot at his teammate.
“I guess they think that Hutch needs a little more work than me.”
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
A day to remember for Jets duoWhen asked whom the easiest goalie was to score on in the National Hockey League, Mark Scheifele didn’t hesitate: “Michael Hutchinson,” he joked. Some 20-plus kids erupted in laughter.
It wasn’t long ago that Scheifele and Hutchinson were learning the basic fundamentals of hockey. They haven’t forgotten them.
And so there were the two Winnipeg Jets young stars, giving a little bit back at the Gateway Recreation Centre on Saturday at the first annual 24/7 InTouch Mark Scheifele Hockey Camp.
“I still remember that age, getting a chance to skate with the Kitchener Rangers and stuff like that,” Scheifele said. “It was always pretty awesome, and I always looked up to them as some pretty big role models. It’s pretty cool having the shoe on the other foot.”
The two-day event in support of KidSport is bringing together 113 kids for a chance to skate and learn with their hockey heroes.
“It’s a great organization, they do pretty great things,” Scheifele said. “It hits close to me because as a kid, sport was the biggest part of my life. If I wasn’t at school, I had a basketball in my hand or a stick in my hand – no matter what. So to give these kids a chance to play is awesome.”
Scheifele asked Hutchinson to come along and work with the goaltenders. To the man with the seemingly permanent grin, “it was an easy answer.”
“It’s always nice to be able to give back to the cities you’ve made connections with,” Hutchinson said. “Last year, playing here allowed me to build a great connection with the city of Winnipeg.
“We always had camps growing up, but this one is different,” he said. “All the proceeds go to such a good cause. I know that almost every single hockey player, if they didn’t have sports in their life, it would be totally different.
“This kind of takes you back every time they’re excited to see you. It’s easy to forget that it’s that big of a deal, but then you remember when you were a kid and there was some NHL player there. It was definitely a good time.”
The group of hockey players turned into junior hockey reporters at the end of practice as both Scheifele and Hutchinson fielded questions.
Questions ranged from Scheifele’s favourite colour to how many assists he had last season and who was the Jets top goal scorer.
Some even offered to show Hutchinson a thing or two between the pipes, to which Scheifele couldn’t help but take a little shot at his teammate.
“I guess they think that Hutch needs a little more work than me.”
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
Every piece of reporting Scott 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.
Related Articles
With Ehlers emerging, Jets are powerful on the port side
Advertisement Advertise With Us
Advertisement Advertise With Us
History
Updated on Saturday, June 20, 2015 5:46 PM CDT: Added sidebar story.
Updated on Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:43 PM CDT: Updated story.