Winnipeg Jets fans lament 'really rough' end to Stanley Cup dream but commend team for this year's run

CBC News

· Posted: May 19, 2025 11:19 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

It's the extremity of the roadworthy for a hockey dream — for this season, astatine least.

A power-play extremity changeable by Dallas Stars defenceman Thomas Harley sealed the fate of the Winnipeg Jets 1:33 into overtime connected Saturday.

The Stars moved to the NHL's Western Conference last aft defeating Winnipeg 2-1 successful Game 6 of the second-round NHL hockey playoff — capping the Jet's tally for the Stanley Cup aft a franchise-record regular season.

"I'll get implicit it successful a mates of days. That's wherefore it's the agelong weekend. But it's rough, it's truly rough," said Matthew Lacey.

He was 1 of dozens of fans who watched what turned retired to beryllium the past Jet's crippled this play astatine the Canada Life Centre's jumbotron. 

It was "so close, truthful close," helium said, but "[Mark] Scheifele's got a bully 1 astatine least."

The team's guardant scored the Jet's lone extremity of the game just hours aft the unexpected decease of his father.

"Scheifele truly wanted to triumph it for his dad," said Jets instrumentality Kianna Ritchot. "I mislaid my dad, and I cognize however overmuch it hurts, and you could archer however overmuch helium wanted to bash it."

"I cognize his dada was smiling down connected him and arrogant of him."  

The True North Youth Foundation said it has received an "organic outpouring of support" from some Jets and Stars fans donating successful designation of Scheifele's loss. 

More than $55,000 had been raised by Sunday with a $5,500 donation coming from the Dallas Stars organization.

The funds volition beryllium utilized to "meaningfully interaction younker successful our assemblage successful honour of the Scheifele family," True North said successful a statement, with readying inactive underway. 

"It's commendable helium was inactive playing aft that tragedy, that loss, and helium was the lone goal. It's amazing," instrumentality Ani Kalia said.  

It was disappointing to spot the Jets capped their tally for the Stanley Cup without a azygous triumph connected the road, Kalia said, but "we're inactive arrogant of them," helium said.

"Next year, 2026, the Stanley Cup comes home," Kalia said.

Jets instrumentality Kevin Mazak is besides looking up for the adjacent season, keeping his fingers crossed truthful Scheifele and defenceman Josh Morrissey — who suffered an upper-body wounded successful the last crippled of the  playoffs first-round  — tin travel backmost good and assistance the squad "pick things up wherever we near disconnected this year."

"They made it past the archetypal round, they slayed the demons that they had," Mazak said. "We inactive believe."