Shakin’ all over

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/10/2011 (5111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Imagine the nerves, the balled-up knot in an 18-year-old’s tummy, as he skates out onto the ice for his first NHL game.

Now imagine what that’s like as part of the NHL’s triumphant return to Manitoba after 15 years and with the nation watching, with his family in town and with the Prime Minister in the house.

So, how are you handling all this, Mark Scheifele?

“I’ll probably be very, very nervous,” began the Winnipeg Jets’ rookie after Saturday’s practice. “Getting to play in your first NHL game… I’ll be shaking all day, I’ll be shaking on the ice in the warm-up. But once I get on the ice and get the jitters out I think it will be good.”

Scheifele has been one of the surprise feel-good stories of Jets’ training camp, as he led the team in scoring and had this town’s hockey fans quickly learning how to chant his name. His smile is constant and infectious and he’s won over his teammates not just with his offensive skills, but with his attention to detail elsewhere on the ice.

Even more amazing is the fact the kid has just one year of junior under his belt, tutored by Jets legend Dale Hawerchuk.

And, oh yeah, Ducky will be here, too, to watch his protege.

“Playing the first Winnipeg Jet game, my first NHL game are both unreal feelings,” said Scheifele. “It’s going to give me nerves, for sure. It’s going to give me butterflies. But it’s going to be a fun time. Playing in an NHL game is what every kid dreams of so to be able to do — it is an unbelievable feeling.

“I’ll definitely remember this for the rest of my life. It’s going be very historic for the city, for the NHL and for me, for sure, for the rest of my life.”

The lanky centre has spent the last few days working with Evander Kane on the left and veteran Kyle Wellwood on the right. He’ll almost certainly get nine games to start the season before the Jets will have to decide to keep him or send him back to the Barrie Colts so the first year of his new contract isn’t burned.

“Mark’s excited to play, he’s looking forward to it,” said Jets’ coach Claude Noel. “He had a so-so practice (Friday, during a scrimmage) but he was good at the end and that line got three goals… he got one and Wellwood got another and they really snapped into it. I’m looking forward to seeing all of them play.

“I’m not going to assess Scheifele on just that game. It’s going to be a tough game for him and for everyone else.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait