Scheifele staying positive, expects full recovery from playoff injury

WINNIPEG - Mark Scheifele said he was in a dark place. Even his mom, watching the game from home, had to go for a walk - fearing the worst for her son.

When the 27-year-old Scheifele left the ice just 5:29 into Game 1 against the Calgary Flames in the Qualifying Round, everyone seemed to fear the worst. His collision with Matthew Tkachuk didn't allow him to put any weight on his leg as he was taken down the tunnel by the team's medical staff.

"Initially I thought I tore my Achilles and I was done for six months," said Scheifele on Tuesday. "I had a lot of bad thoughts that I was going to be out for six months and my career could be over. That was tough on me and that was the worst part of it - the anticipation of actually getting some answers."

Thankfully, Scheifele and the Jets received some good news from a second opinion and the injury wasn't as severe as initially feared.

Scheifele wasn't able to play in the rest of the series, which saw the Jets eliminated in four games, but says he's on the mend and expects to be back at 100 per cent soon. He's trying to look at things in a positive light, even the fact he put in over four months of training prior to the start of training camp in July - only to get injured three shifts into Game 1.

"I'm very happy hockey is back on and that I even got to play three shifts rather than there not even be a playoff. That's the lucky part," said Scheifele. "I didn't go through the training and skating because I had to, it's because I wanted to. I want to play hockey and that's what I enjoy doing. Whether it was doing the workouts at home, going for a roller blade, or skating with (Adam Oates), or whatever it was - I did that out of enjoyment of the game."

As for the hit that caused the injury, Scheifele said Tkachuk reached out to discuss the play and acknowledged there were things he could have done better on the play.

"He talked about that he was out of control and was skating too fast. He took ownership of that," said Scheifele, who said he's not the type to hold grudges. "The way my parents raised me is you forgive everyone and that's all you can do. You wish the best for every person."

With Scheifele watching from the stands inside Rogers Place, the Jets were able to even the series with a big 3-2 win in Game 2 before the Flames rattled off consecutive victories to close the series.

"A lot of guys stepped up and worked hard. That was the resiliency of our team all season," said Scheifele. "From the start of the year with Buff and Bryan Little going down, we had guys step up over and over. It shows the character we had in our room this year. Guys kept working on their game so when they were put in the line-up, they were ready to succeed.

"When you leave it all on the ice, that's all you can do. The guys battled hard right until the end."

With the hit and the injury behind him, Scheifele is looking forward. He spends every off-season trying to find ways to get better and - until he can skate again - he'll be heeding the advice of his former Ontario Hockey League coach, and legendary former Jet, Dale Hawerchuk.

"My first year with him, he said watching the NHL is an education, it's a school class on its own. You can learn from the best players in the world every single day," said Scheifele. "I've taken that to heart ever since he told me that 12 years ago. I'm thankful for that lesson that long ago and I still have that today."

He plans to apply that advice as he watches as many games as he can while the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue in Toronto and Edmonton.

Scheifele has been a point-per-game player in each of his last four seasons, finishing the 2019-20 regular season with 29 goals and 73 points in 71 games.

He played his 500th career NHL game on January 31, but he expects to continue to find ways to improve himself on the ice.

"When you watch any game, you see the star players and you see certain things they do and something might pop out to me," said Scheifele. "I'll think about it for when I get back on the ice and get a stick in my hands and start to play with some things."

The 2020-21 season is tentatively set to begin on December 1, a date Scheifele likely already has circled on his calendar.

He knows a lot can happen to the Jets roster in the off-season, but he also knows the team isn't far away from taking the next step - similar to the one that went to the Western Conference Final two seasons ago.

"When you don't have (Dustin Byfuglien), (Jacob Trouba), (Tyler Myers), and (Ben Chiarot), it's a totally different back end," Scheifele said. "You saw Neal Pionk stepped in and played amazing all year. You need young guys, you need the Ville Heinolas of the world, the Dylan Sambergs of the world, and then you need guys in the minors to step up into those key roles."

The Jets will also need a healthy Scheifele, and he anticipates to be good to go when camp begins again.

"It's going to be a year everyone is going to remember for a long time," said Scheifele. "For a guy like me, every single year you have to continue to work on your game, work hard, and try to become the best player you can become."