Mark Stone hit a scoring milestone on Wednesday night, but the moment that really defined his night had nothing to do with the 400 points he reached for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Stone posted a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken, reaching 400 points in a Vegas uniform. For Senators fans who still keep a soft spot for the former Ottawa star, it’s another reminder of how long he’s been gone - and how much he’s piled up since leaving.
But in the Vegas room, the milestone took a back seat. The attention instead went to Stone’s fight, the kind of rare, old-school moment that completed a Gordie Howe hat trick and drew praise from teammates and coach alike.
The scrap came after teammate Victor Olofsson left the game following a cross-check into the boards from behind by Ben Meyers. Meyers was ejected for the hit, and the tension carried over from there. Stone said the exchange with Seattle’s Brandon Montour pushed things further.
"(Montour) had gone on to say some things about our team that I didn't like," Stone said. "I'm not gonna fight during too many five-on-threes. But I just didn't like some of the things he was saying about our team, and that's what led to it."
It was just the seventh fight of Stone’s NHL career, making the 35-year-old captain’s decision to drop the gloves even more notable. His line for the night ended up as a goal, an assist and a fight - the classic Gordie Howe Hat Trick.
Vegas head coach Ryan Craig praised the way Stone handled it.
"That's part of the reason he wears the letter he wears on his chest," Craig told reporters after the game. "He stepped up to the challenge there and answered the bell, and you can see the reaction from our group."
" It helps solidify the togetherness of our group," Craig said. "Sticking together, standing up for each other. That's just kind of the way the game went today, but good teams do that."
Jack Eichel echoed that sentiment.
"He's our leader as far as the group goes," Eichel said. "Tons of credit to Stoney. We love seeing that."
Stone said the moment was about more than one player’s stat line.
"This is a close team," Stone said. "There's a reason why we have success.
It's not just because we have good players. It's because we stick together."
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