‘What my dad would have wanted’ Scheifele opens up about loss of father, return to hockey at Oly camp By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 3:17 PM CDT Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

CALGARY — Even as a master of preparation, there was nothing Mark Scheifele could do to brace himself for the phone call he took on the morning of May 17.

The news on the other end of the line was devastating, as Scheifele learned that his father, Brad, had passed away during the night after his battle with cancer.

In a hotel room in Dallas, Scheifele was stunned, left to try and pick up the pieces on a day his Winnipeg Jets were trying to stave off elimination against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

“It wasn’t the easiest of days,” Scheifele said in an exclusive interview earlier this week at Team Canada’s orientation camp in Calgary. “Really, really tough to wake up to that news. It’s tough to put into words actually, how I got through that day. But obviously, I have a lot of amazing people around me.”

Those amazing people ranged from family members, teammates, friends and even opponents, as Scheifele would see hours later during the hardest handshake line he’s ever had to work his way through.

“It’s tough to put into words actually, how I got through that day. But obviously, I have a lot of amazing people around me.”–Mark Scheifele

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.

“My mom was pretty strong,” said Scheifele. “Just 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 — and even people around the league.”

People around the league were watching as Scheifele walked into the arena beside Jets teammate Josh Morrissey.

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.

The scene that followed was a combination of heartbreaking and uplifting.

The TV camera panned to Scheifele dropping his head in the box in disbelief — a cruel ending to an already painful day.

Jets captain Adam Lowry skated over to the penalty box and wrapped his arms around Scheifele.

There were embraces with his teammates and then words of encouragement and extra-long embraces from Stars players and head coach Peter DeBoer.

“It’s tough to hold back the emotions right now,” said Scheifele, asked to describe his thoughts in the moment. “Some of the things that guys said were pretty heartwarming. To see the respect and — it just shows how great of a hockey community the NHL is and hockey players, in general.

“It made me feel very special and loved. That handshake line will be something that I remember for the rest of my life.”

“That handshake line will be something that I remember for the rest of my life.”–Mark Scheifele

Although he’s an incredibly private person, Scheifele shared that he’s doing the best he can under the circumstances, conceding that the grieving process is still in the early stages.

“Throughout the entire summer, there are good days and bad days,” said Scheifele. “In 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’t been the easiest of summers, especially for my mom and a lot of my family.

“I’m definitely excited to get back to playing hockey again. Sometimes that distraction is good and, sometimes, you’ve got to get through the tough days to appreciate it.”

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’s side to receive an invitation to the Olympic orientation camp.

Although he was left off Canada’s 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.

Ultimately, no spot was available for Scheifele at that event, but he continued his excellent season on a rampage — handling the disappointment like a true professional.

Scheifele left enough of an impression on Canada’s management team to have him firmly in the mix to make his way to Italy in February.

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’ll be among the 25 players on the final roster.

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.

“He really took his game to another level last year,” said Morrissey. “Realistically, 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.

“He 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.”

Scheifele is excited to get back to the routine of being in Winnipeg and preparing for the new season.

He’s eager to get on the ice with three-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Toews and to pick his brain about a number of topics.

Scheifele, who has spent a good chunk of the summer in Calgary, wasn’t as surprised as some folks when pictures of Lowry’s return to the ice three months after hip surgery were posted on social media.

“I knew it was coming very soon. I knew he was feeling really good,” said Scheifele. “It’s obviously promising news to see him on the ice.”

Despite dealing with the frustration of getting knocked out of the second round of the playoffs after a Presidents’ 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.

“The goal is a Stanley Cup and that’s what we want. I believe we have the team to do that,” 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.

“That’s the way you have to look at it. If you look at it any other way, it’s 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.

“It’s 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.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld