DALLAS — Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele was set to play in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars on Saturday just hours after learning of his father's unexpected death.
"It rocked us all this morning when we found out," said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. "Mark will be playing tonight.
"As he said, that would be the wishes of his dad, that he would have wanted him to play."
In an impromptu media availability earlier Saturday, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said that Brad Scheifele died overnight and that the team was doing everything it could to support Mark.
"We wish to give (Mark's) family our most sincere condolences and obviously ask that everybody respect his and their privacy at this time," Cheveldayoff said.
Arniel told the players the news before their optional morning skate at American Airlines Center. He then returned to the team hotel to help support Scheifele.
Winnipeg needed a victory to force a deciding game in the second-round NHL playoff series on Monday night at Canada Life Centre.
Scheifele, walking beside defenceman Josh Morrissey, arrived with his teammates at the arena a few hours before the start of Game 6.
"It's a terrible loss," said Jets captain Adam Lowry. "It's tough to put into words how gutted we all feel for Mark and his family."
Scheifele had 87 points (39-48) in 82 games this past season. The 32-year-old centre entered Game 6 with 10 points (4-6) in 10 playoff games this spring.
"We’ve got a game to play and we’re going to play hard for Mark," Arniel said. "That’s pretty much the chatter that’s happening. Everyone wants to make sure that we don’t let him down."
Arniel added that Scheifele was holding up as well as could be expected.
"It’s great that he got to talk with his family, got back to the (team) meal and talked to the players and gave them a hug," Arniel said. "It’s part of what we’ve been preaching here. We’re one big family.
"He needs us now and we’re all there for him.”
Scheifele was selected by the Jets with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft. He made his debut the next season and has spent his entire NHL career in Winnipeg.
There was no immediate word on the cause of his father's death.
"That's such a big loss, that's your mentor, that's the person you looked up to growing up," Lowry said. "That's the person you want to be like.
"So I think there's just a lot of little things that you've got to do to really make sure Mark feels supported today and moving forward."
In a 2016 interview with The Canadian Press, Brad Scheifele recalled some fond memories from Mark's childhood in Kitchener, Ont.
"He would sit in this big white chair in the living room, eating his cereal as he was watching SportsCentre," he said at the time. "He loved to follow sports, and it wasn't just hockey, it was all different sports.
"If it came between playing with toys or playing with puzzles or anything like that, he would sooner want to be the goalie and we would have to shoot tennis balls at him. And, of course, he'd say, 'Another hundred shots, dad.'"
A week before the interview, Scheifele recorded his first NHL hat trick in a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
"We were jumping up and down," Brad said. "Even the dog was barking at the television. It was so exciting, and it brings tears to your eyes, too."
Lowry, who has played with Scheifele for 11 seasons, said Brad was on many of the team's fathers' trips over the years. He said he had an "infectious laugh" and energy that "was unmatched."
"Just his joy and excitement for life and he really passed it down to Mark," he said. "But I think his positivity, his outlook on life, (he was) just a genuinely happy person and (it's) a terrible loss obviously."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
