CNN
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Just hours after his father unexpectedly passed away, Mark Shayfele came out on the ice to play for the Winnipeg Jets in a must-see game 6 of the second round playoff series with the Dallas Stars.
He then placed himself on the game as well, scoring a five-minute opening goal in the second quarter.
But then Scheifele had a stumbling penalty with 14.8 seconds left in the regulations and was in the penalty box when Thomas Harley scored the Stars 1:33 victory goal into overtime.
That goal secured the Stars’ 2-1 victory and ended the Jets’ bids for the Stanley Cup in a row in a row in the NHL Western Conference Finals in their third season.
“(It’s) heartbreaking,” Jets captain Adam Lowry said after the game. His voice was thickened with emotion.
“To end it as it is, and all the other things surrounding the day, I think it’s just a lot of emotions. It’s hard to put into words what Mark has gone through today. That’s a big goal for us, and play the whole game and it’s over.”
As soon as the game ended, the Jets players huddled around Seafele once more, many of whom accepted him. Stars players also knew the gravity and emotions of the day for Sheifele, and then hugged her and spoke at the handshake line.
“We’re there for him,” Jets defenseman Neil Pion said. “We are family. Sheikh is a large part of the family and we are here for him. We didn’t leave the ice without him. We did everything we could to beat him and his family.
It was amazing that Sheifele played at all. It is even more noteworthy that he had a goal, winning seven out of 12 showdowns and earning a team-high nine hits.
“To experience what he had to go through and then to perform as proud of him. And his father would be very proud of him. He wanted to win so badly.”
“The situation is so tough. I couldn’t imagine it being in such a situation.