‘$55 for 55” raises nearly $90,000 for True North Youth Foundation

It’s been nearly a month since the Winnipeg Jets were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion by the Dallas Stars, a night that was especially emotional for star forward Mark Scheifele, who found out just hours before the game that his dad had passed away.

But after the final horn, something special happened. A groundswell of support, kick-started by Stars fans, with the $55 for 55 donation campaign to the True North Youth Foundation in support of Scheifele. Now, nearly $90,000 has been raised in his father’s honour.

“Just an awful day for him,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “You wanna give him the strength, you want to get that kill so bad, we just couldn’t do it.”

Though the loss was painful for Schiefele in more ways than one, the hockey community stepped up in his support.

“It started with a Dallas fan in Cambridge, Ontario, who put it out on one of his social media platforms. Some of their fan forums jumped on as well as our fan base and fans from all over the world. Actually, it’s been quite remarkable how many fans have gone in,” said Dwayne Green, the executive director of True North Youth Foundation.

“For something like this that was born out of a difficult time for one of our players, it’s pretty remarkable.”

Green says they’ve seen over 1,200 donations since Game 6, and though he hasn’t personally spoken with Scheifele yet about where the money will go, he says he wants to create something long-lasting.

“We want to work with the work with the family to make something that is a legacy, not a one and done, so whether it be a scholarship for somebody going to school, or access hockey, or whatever it is, we want something that will honour Mark’s dad in a way that they’ll value as well,” said Green.

Green says the generosity of Stars fans and hockey fans all over the world shows the beauty of the sport.

“When that series was done, you could see the care that the opposing team and even the opposing fans have for each other, and I’m not sure if that’s true in every sport, but it’s pretty special in hockey, and I think that’s something that should never be lost.”