All hockey fans know that veteran forward Mark Scheifele symbolizes the Winnipeg Jets.
Scheifele, drafted in 2011 7th overall by the Jets, has in career game 884 made franchise history when at Canada Life Centre he scored a first period goal which moved him ahead of former teammate Blake Wheeler and into first as the Jets 2.0 all-time leading point producer, which came on Saturday, October 18th in a 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators.
“That was really special, the fans here are incredible,” an emotional Scheifele said. “They give us much extra motivation. We really do have amazing fans. I am lucky to be a part of such a tremendous organization and tremendous community, and I’m honoured to be here.”
Showing that flare for the dramatics, Scheifele, who has 342 career goals along with 471 assists, got that magical 813th point 2:39 into regulation when, on the power-play, he one-timed a perfect pass from his buddy and long-time teammate Kyle Connor over the left shoulder of Predators goalie Juuse Saros for the game’s opening goal.
“Yeah, an unbelievable pass by KC (Kyle Connor),” Scheifele said. “He’s good, isn’t he. He’s amazing. Obviously, I’m tremendously honoured. I’m still trying to catch another guy (Dale Hawerchuk). For that one, it will be cool. Obviously, I’m tremendously honoured,”
Mark Scheifele Passes Blake Wheeler to Become Winnipeg Jets 2.0 Leading Point Scorer
Scheifele First Pick for Winnipeg Jets 2.0
Before the 2011-2012 season, the Atlanta Thrashers franchise moved to Winnipeg where the Jets 2.0 were born.
That off-season, the team’s first pick was Scheifele, who, coincidentally enough, was being coached by the Jets 1.0 points leader, and hockey Hall of Famer, the late Dale Hawerchuk who was behind the Barrie Colts bench.
If you include the Jets 1.0, which spanned from 1972-2996, and the Jets 2.0, Scheifele only has two players ahead of him on the points list and those are forwards Thomas Steen, who ended up with 817 points and the all-time leader in Hawerchuk who in 713 games with Winnipeg accumulated 929 points.
Shortly after moving past Wheeler into top position among the Jets 2.0, Scheifele expressed a lot of high praise for the 14,309 fans who were in attendance and showering their love for this veteran with an enthusiastic ovation.
“That was pretty special,” Scheifele, who now has six goals on the young season said. “The fans here are incredible. They give us so much extra motivation. We really do have amazing fans and I’m lucky to be a part of such a tremendous organization, a tremendous community, and I’m very, very honoured to be here.”
Scheifele Gives Lots Of Praise To Wheeler
Scheifele, who was extremely emotional on the bench after passing Wheeler on the Jets 2.0 franchise scoring list, couldn’t say enough good things about his good friend and former teammate.
“He means a lot to me and I owe a lot of this to him,” Scheifele said. These two were Jets teammates starting at the tail end of the 2012-2013 season until the conclusion of the 2022-2023 season, when that offseason Wheeler signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.
Scheifele’s path to a successful career began on October 19, 2011, when, with only a handful of games under his belt, he scored his first NHL goal, which came against goalie James Reimer and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jets fans had reason to get excited when, just before the 2023-24 NHL season commenced, Scheifele, along with goalie Connor Hellebuyck, agreed to a long-term seven-year $59.5 million dollar extensions.
Often, Scheifele thinks about his former Barrie Colts coach, Hockey Hall of Famer, the late Dale Hawerchuk who coached him for three years from 2010 until 2013. Scheifele especially thinks of him when driving past his statue at True North Square.
“He was such a big part of my life,” Scheifele said. “I know he’s up there watching and I just want to go out there and play my best. It’s a huge honour and I’m just very, very lucky to be part of this group of guys and this organization.”
You can bet that thoughts of Hawerchuk weren’t far from Scheifele’s mind on Saturday, October 18th shortly after scoring to re-write the Jets 2.0 record books.
Main Image: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
