Scheifele opens up about loss of father, return to hockey at Oly camp

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.”

Jets’ Morrissey determined to solidify spot on Olympic roster

CALGARY – Josh Morrissey is back to full health and has taken his rightful spot among the best players in the country as Hockey Canada gathers for its Olympic orientation camp.

With folks converging from the men’s, women’s and Paralympic teams this week, Morrissey was proudly sporting Team Canada gear as a media session was held at a downtown Calgary hotel — several months after a knee injury knocked him out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

During a one-on-one conversation, the Winnipeg Jets defenceman reiterated that he was fortunate the injury wasn’t worse after he got tangled up in Game 6 of the second-round series against the Dallas Stars.

“Everything is great,” said Morrissey, who is one of 13 blue-liners in attendance on the men’s side. “It was bad timing (for the injury to occur), but a good result, in that the injury wasn’t too severe.”

Jets centre Toews regains balance on, off NHL ice via Indian holistic system Ayurveda

For Jonathan Toews, the road back to the NHL didn’t just run through the hockey rink and weight room — it took a mysterious, life-altering detour halfway around the world, into the heart of India’s ancient healing traditions.

The result? An unexpected fan club thousands of kilometres away, rooting for the 37-year-old Winnipegger as he prepares to suit up with his hometown Jets this fall.

“I’m really happy that Jonathan Toews has finally recovered with Ayurvedic and Panchakarma treatment,” Dr. Rajni Jalota told the Free Press in an interview from India. “I wish him the very best and that he emerges more successful than before.”

Jalota admits she knows nothing about hockey — in her region, ice is for drinks and cricket reigns supreme — but like many of her medical colleagues, she’s intrigued by Toews’ comeback attempt.

Winnipeg Jets goalie Eric Comrie to tee it up at Manitoba Open later this month

WINNIPEG - Winnipeg Jets goaltender Eric Comrie will trade his pads for golf clubs later this month after receiving a sponsor’s exemption to play in the Manitoba Open.

The 28-year-old is entering his sixth season with the Jets and 10th in the NHL.

He’ll compete as an amateur in the PGA Tour Americas event from Aug. 21-24 at Breezy Bend Country Club.

Inviting an active Jets player has become a Manitoba Open tradition, with Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Morgan Barron and Dylan Samberg among recent participants.

Jets mailbag: Breaking down the off-season storylines

Who’s ready for some hockey?

Judging by the quantity — and quality — of questions coming our way, plenty of you are.

The bad news? We’ve still got about six weeks to go until NHL training camps open. The good news? Our boys on the Winnipeg Jets beat, Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe, are here with answers in this month’s mailbag.

Hopefully this helps scratch the itch — and make the wait a little easier.

Retired Wheeler reflects on career, fun years with the Jets

Blake Wheeler is at peace with his decision, even if he couldn’t pinpoint the precise time he was ready to make it.

The former Winnipeg Jets captain is on the other end of the telephone line from Connecticut, the place his family has chosen to call home after Wheeler’s longtime NHL career had come to an end.

Earlier this month, Wheeler made it official by putting pen to paper, retiring after 16 seasons in the NHL — with 12 of those spent as a core piece of the Jets.

During his lone season with the Rangers, Wheeler admits he could feel the end was near — even though he was enjoying a Stanley Cup chase with an Original Six franchise.

Pedal power for Parkinson’s awareness

Tim Hague vividly remembers the day his doctor delivered the life-changing news: he had Parkinson’s disease.

“He said, ‘You can plan on 10 to 15 good years,” the 60-year-old Winnipegger recalled in an interview with the Free Press on Wednesday. “Well, I’m 14 years and five months into this thing, and I don’t feel like I’m at the end of my good years yet. And I attribute that to exercise.”

Hague, a retired nurse, has built an impressive physical regimen — one that once helped him and his son, Tim Jr., win the inaugural season of The Amazing Race Canada in 2013. Staying fit has also become the cornerstone of his fundraising efforts for U-Turn Parkinson’s, the Winnipeg-based wellness centre he founded to help others living with the disease.

“It is the fastest growing neurological disease in the world,” said Hague. “There’s over 11 million people now with it worldwide — including more than 7,000 in Manitoba — and that’s expected to double by 2040.”

Vilardi locked in long-term after career-best season with Jets

Gabe Vilardi knows Winnipeggers love a great deal — and the popular Jets forward hopes his new six-year extension with the hockey club will be exactly that.

“I’d hope to be someone where people are saying, ‘Wow, that’s a great contract for the Jets,’ looking back on it,” Vilardi said Monday morning, speaking with reporters for the first time since putting pen to paper last Friday.

The 25-year-old, who became a restricted free agent on July 1, will earn US$7.5 million annually through the end of the 2030-31 NHL season.

“We talked about the length and the number a lot. I know everyone has their opinions on numbers. Some people say too high, some people say too low. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions,” said Vilardi, who was coming off a two-year deal paying US$3.44 million per season.

Jets’ Vilardi glad to have avoided arbitration, calls extension ‘inevitable’

Gabriel Vilardi said his contract extension was "inevitable" and he was glad to avoid arbitration.

The Winnipeg Jets forward, a restricted free agent, signed a six-year, US$45 million contract last Friday. 

Vilardi was coming off a career year in the second of a two-year, $6.88 million deal.

"Everything went pretty smoothly from what I heard," Vilardi told reporters on Zoom. "And I'm glad to hear that because from the end of the season, whenever I started thinking about this stuff, it was never any question for me. 

Former Jets captain officially hangs up blades

He’d been out of the game for a while, and the end came for a Winnipeg Jets 2.0 legend on Saturday. The team’s long-time captain, Blake Wheeler, announced his retirement from the NHL after 16 NHL seasons.

Jets sign forward Vilardi to six-year contract extension

The last time Gabe Vilardi was asked about his long-term future, the Winnipeg Jets forward wasn’t ready to make any bold proclamations — or even drop any not-so-obvious hints or bread crumbs.

There was no doubt that Vilardi was happy with his usage or role, averaging just over 18 minutes of ice time per game.

But was Vilardi interested in the security of a long-term deal or was he more interested in getting to unrestricted free agency as quickly as possible?

That was unclear going into the off-season, mostly because Vilardi said after his exit interview that he hadn’t really given it any thought yet.