DALLAS – The handshake line on the finish of a Stanley Cup Playoff sequence is among the biggest traditions in hockey – a show of empathy and decency in a sport that may be savage. If solely the remainder of humanity was so keen to make peace.
However hardly ever has a receiving line of opposing Nationwide Hockey League gamers been as poignant, each good and unhappy, because it was Saturday evening when the Winnipeg Jets lined as much as shake palms with the Dallas Stars after dropping 2-1 in extra time.
It wasn’t the tip of their season that was so highly effective – though that, too, is devastating for a Jets group that received the Presidents’ Trophy and had official aspirations of advancing to the Western Convention Ultimate after which the Stanley Cup – however the begin of the mourning.
Mark Scheifele, the longest-tenured Jet, performed Sport 6 regardless of studying Saturday morning that his father, Brad, had handed away again dwelling in Ontario.
Scheifele scored Winnipeg’s solely purpose on Saturday, however was within the penalty field in extra time when Dallas defenceman Thomas Harley ripped a slapshot previous goalie Connor Hellebuyck at 1:33 to ship the Stars to their third straight convention remaining.
When Scheifele emerged from the penalty field, despondent and distraught, the aggressive defend in opposition to grief eliminated, he was gathered in by Jets teammates who took turns hugging him. After which, in that stunning receiving line, so did the Stars.
And the primary and longest embrace was with Dallas captain Jamie Benn, who had punched Scheifele within the face close to the tip of Winnipeg’s 4-0 win in Sport 5 on Thursday, knocking him to the ice and incomes a $5,000 fantastic from the NHL.
“I simply advised him that I revered him as a competitor, and as a hockey participant,” Benn advised us later. “You possibly can develop to not like guys all through a playoff sequence. However when it is throughout, I advised him I respect him as a participant. I wished to let him know that it took numerous braveness for him to play right this moment in a troublesome scenario. I am undecided too many guys would have achieved that in his scenario. So, I revered it. I do know each man in our room revered it, and our entire group revered it.
“I wished to inform him I cared about him.”
Benn was Scheifele’s chief enemy on the ice. So, think about how the Jets teammates felt about him.
“Heartbreaking,” Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry stated. “You realize, we felt like we had a fantastic common season. We felt like we had a group that would go on a run and for it to finish the way in which it did, and all the things else that was surrounding the day, it is simply numerous emotion.
“It is robust to place into phrases what Mark went by way of right this moment. (He scores) an enormous purpose for us, performs a heck of a sport, and it ends the way in which it does. Simply emotional, heavy. Simply actually happy with the group we had, the dedication, the no give up. We bumped into a fantastic Dallas group, however we could not discover that further one tonight, and that was the distinction.”
Later, after stopping briefly to struggle again tears, Lowry stated: “Simply an terrible day for him. You wish to give him the energy, you wish to get that kill so unhealthy. We simply could not do it.”
Scheifele’s tripping penalty with 15 seconds remaining in regulation time was the one penalty of the sport. His shot had been blocked contained in the Dallas blueline by Sam Metal, who was turning it right into a breakaway the opposite method when Scheifele lunged and clipped him.
In a sequence when a lot of the Stars’ high forwards have been quiet, Metal had tied the sport off an enormous rebound at 11:12 of the center interval, lower than six minutes after Scheifele had opened scoring by sliding the puck by way of Jake Oettinger’s pads after the Dallas goalie stopped Kyle Connor from the slot.
Apart from his group’s lone purpose, Scheifele registered 9 hits in 18:51 of ice time.
“You realize, for him to play tonight and play the way in which he did is flat out one of the brave issues I’ve ever seen,” Winnipeg defenceman Neal Pionk stated. “So all of the credit score to him.”
“I am unable to stress sufficient how proud I’m of our group,” Jets coach Scott Arniel, who spent the day with Scheifele on the group’s lodge, advised reporters. “When issues are laborious and issues are robust, you understand, particularly this 12 months, we’ve not cowered away from it. We confronted it, you understand.
“I’m simply so happy with them and the way shut we’re. Some issues have occurred over the past couple of years, and simply us being a tight-knit group, being household, I actually noticed it on show right this moment. We see it at totally different factors over the course of the season; could be accidents and it could be private stuff that occurs. However everyone – everyone – wished to win for Mark tonight. Simply the heartbreak on the finish of it, the way it ended, it is a robust one.”
Arniel stated earlier than the sport that the Jets have been rallying round Scheifele, decided to win for his or her teammate and his dad and power a Sport 7 Monday in Manitoba.
Their probabilities of doing so have been harm significantly when No. 1 defenceman Josh Morrissey suffered a big knee damage late within the second interval as he pulled down Stars ahead Mikko Rantanen.
Nonetheless, after getting outplayed within the first interval, the Jets outshot the Stars 19-11 within the remaining 40 minutes of regulation time however might get just one puck previous Oettinger, who made a lunging, desperation save on Nikolaj Ehlers midway by way of the third interval.
And the Jets couldn’t kill Scheifele’s penalty in opposition to a Stars energy play that was a significant component within the sequence.
“Simply earlier than I take questions, I wish to acknowledge a pair issues,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer stated firstly of his press convention. “Condolences to Mark Scheifele and his household. I contemplate myself a Kitchener man (DeBoer coached the OHL Rangers in Scheifele’s hometown); his household’s from Kitchener. Simply brave, what he did tonight. I’m positive his dad would have been actually happy with him and what he did. Powerful evening for him and anyone within the hockey world that has been in a scenario like that. So, hats off to him. Brave younger man.
“The second factor I wish to acknowledge is the Winnipeg Jets. I can’t think about there’s a better-coached group within the league. I’m just a little biased as a result of we work within the West, however (they) received the Presidents’ Trophy. They provide you nothing, they play laborious, they play as a group, nice management. I feel (Arniel) ought to win the Jack Adams operating away, in my view, with the job they did this 12 months. So, hats off to these guys too.”
One of many final Dallas gamers to place his arm round Scheifele within the handshake line was Mason Marchment, who ran over Scheifele on Saturday evening and was a menace to the Jets all sequence. Marchment misplaced his personal father, former NHLer Bryan, three years in the past.
“You realize, we battle on the market,” Marchment defined. “I’m going to maintain it between us (what was stated) however I assumed it was essential to type of share what I went by way of, and what helped me recover from it. Nicely, not over, however get by way of it. I want nothing however the most effective for him.”
Hockey. This sport. Our sport.
