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Scheifele To NHL.com: “I Know We’re A Tight Knit Team”

Photo credit: © Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports

By Art Middleton

Jul 26, 2019, 18:25 EDTUpdated: Jul 26, 2019, 17:42 EDT

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During the annual NHLPA ping pong tournament known as Smashfest that took place Thursday night in Toronto, NHL.com reporter Mike Zeisberger had a quick Q and A with Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele where he talked about a handful of topics as well as addressed the rumors of team discord at the disappointing end of the 2018-19 season.

“People can claim whatever, but I know we have a tight knit team,” Scheifele said at Smashfest, a ping-pong tournament in support of concussion and cancer research hosted by former NHL player Dominic Moore on Thursday. “We have great guys in our room. And there’s no question in my mind about the character we have in our room, the unity that we have.”

There was plenty of talk at the end of the season – and even before it – that the Jets dressing room was fractured and dissent was souring things between the players. The Jets feeling a need to bring back Matt Hendricks, a noted closed door player meeting following a late regular season loss, as well as the body language of the players in post-season interviews spoke volumes to fans and media that things weren’t quite right in Jets-land.

As long as we stick together as a team, we’ll be alright

“That other stuff, that’s the stuff as a team you block out,” Scheifele said. “You know what’s going on in your room. Anything extra is a bunch of baloney.”

You can read more of Zeisberger’s interview with Mark where he also talks about the end of the season at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues as well as the ongoing talks with Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor on NHL.com.