When the tagline of the Stanley Cup is “What you need is everything,” you know the competition can get a bit cut-throat at times. But sportsmanship is what makes a game beautiful. And the Panthers head coach, Paul Maurice, just showed the class and respect worthy of a champion. Sure, in a few hours, they play a season-defining game against the Maple Leafs. But the Panthers HC took the opportunity to pay his respects to Jets center Mark Scheifele, who had just lost his father.
During his press conference, Paul Maurice sent out a deep and heartfelt message to not only Mark Scheifele, but the whole Winnipeg Jets family during this trying time. “My deepest sympathies and condolences to Mark Scheifele, his family, the Winnipeg jet family. The Scheifele family is very close,” the Panthers coach said in the Twitter clip shared by TV Rinkside Reporter, Katie Engleson, on May 18.
It makes it more valiant from Scheifele that he endured such a painful loss and still joined his teammates to play in game 6 against the Dallas Stars. And Maurice acknowledged how much strength it takes to do that. “I think just as an observation from last night, the display of courage and focus for Mark to do what he did, and possibly an even greater display of the power of the family, of the Scheifele family, of the Winnipeg jet family, for him to play with his brothers.”
Panthers HC Paul Maurice started his press conference by sharing his condolences to the Scheifele family and the Winnipeg Jets organization. Maurice coached Mark in Winnipeg.
Maurice emphasized how it was a display of courage and focus. pic.twitter.com/XPIkC214yZ
— Katie Engleson (@KatieEngleson) May 18, 2025
This is a developing story…
The post Coach Paul Maurice Mourns Loss Of Mark Scheifele’s Father Ahead Of Stanley Cup: “Deepest Sympathies” appeared first on EssentiallySports.