People haven't really paid attention to Mark Stone ever since he became a Vegas Golden Knights star. The Captain has quietly won the Stanley Cup and became Jack Eichel's right-hand man, capturing the hearts of Las Vegans everywhere. When they did notice him, he was met with LTIR jokes and quips about the Golden Knights cheating.
However, Sunday's performance has people noticing him... for the right reasons. Stone had a short-handed breakaway goal that was part of a 10-2 beatdown of a weaker French team on Sunday, adding two assists in the process.
Mind you, the French were supposed to be a weak team that would easily surrender to Team Canada's dynamite power on Sunday. They already did that against the Czech Republic, where they were doubled up. However, the 10-2 drubbing was a simple statement made by the Canadians: we're here to win the gold medal and take no prisoners.
Part of that comes from the Golden Knights' Captain, who's thriving during the Olympics torunament. He's moving well on the ice and is positioning himself within the games quite well. In turn, he gets the game-winning goal and makes the French wave the white flag.
How Mark Stone is repping the Vegas Golden Knights well and helping Team Canada
As mentioned, Stone has thrived on his line with Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby. The trio has created countless scoring opportunities and has outmaneuvered their opponents throughout the tournament. In fact, they've become one of the best lines that Team Canada has to offer, putting in tremendous work during the Olympics.
Marner-Crosby-Stone lead all 🇨🇦Canadian forward lines in ice time at 5-on-5 and have dominated their minutes... pic.twitter.com/k7AXsyw2n0
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) February 15, 2026
Having veteran players all on one line has done wonders for the Canadians since most teams don't have the big-game experience that all three players possess. They're able to plan ahead of their opponents and make the necessary moves to attack the offensive zone. In turn, that has led to goals and an overwhelming offensive blitz.
But Stone has also been a special teams force, as proven by his shorthanded goal on Sunday. Stone also assisted on Macklin Celebrini's power play goal in the 10-2 win, showcasing his acumen on the unit. Of course, Golden Knights fans already knew this since he has seven goals and 15 assists on the power play this season.
When you have countless scoring options like Celebrini, Crosby, and Connor McDavid, you can literally do whatever you want when another team makes a mistake. That's what countries like the Czech Republic and France have learned the hard way: being peppered by an endless barrage of shots and overwhelmed by offensive zone pressure. Adding a seasoned veteran like Stone to that unit has elevated the group to another level.
It's no wonder that the Canadians have emerged as the overwhelming favorites to win a gold medal at this year's Olympics. They have countless scoring options, like Stone, to carry the load, being deployed in numerous situations. Part of that goes back to Stone, who's become one of the most reliable weapons for Team Canada, putting his name on the map along the way.