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Stars Fans Had Heartfelt Gesture for Jets' Mark Scheifele After Death of His Father

Stars fans are going viral for their generosity towards Scheifele after the unexpected passing of his father.

Tim Capurso

Stars fans are going viral for their generosity towards Scheifele after the unexpected passing of his father.
Stars fans are going viral for their generosity towards Scheifele after the unexpected passing of his father. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele played in Saturday's Game 6, a season-ending loss to the Dallas Stars, with the heaviest of hearts after the unexpected death of his father Brad. Scheifele, whose Game 6 status was understandably questionable in the lead up to the second round contest, opted to play in honor of his father. And even though Scheifele left his mark on the game with a second period goal, the Jets fell in overtime.

But both before and after the game, the hockey community rallied around Scheifele in a truly beautiful turn of events. Immediately after the game, both Jets and Stars players consoled an emotional Scheifele during the traditional handshake line following the end of a Stanley Cup playoff series in a touching moment.

Before the game—and even still after the fact—Stars fans showed that some things are just bigger than sports.

Scheifele, wears No. 55, so the $55 donations are a very intentional and purposeful number by the Stars fans, who have put their allegiances to the side in light of the devastating news Scheifele received.

As of Sunday morning, more than $30,000 had been raised through $55 donations for the True North Foundation, according to Sportsnet.

A heartwarming showing from fans in Dallas and across the league.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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