Imagine you're Mark Stone. You're the Captain of the Vegas Golden Knights, acting as a vital part of the top-line attack. You have a lacerated spleen that keeps you out until the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Everyone calls you a cheater.
Then, you're going for a poke check on Miro Heiskanen. The only problem is Roope Hintz trips you up, changing the direction of your skating to cause a nasty injury.
Everyone calls you a dirty player.
Believe me, it took a couple of glances to see that play unfold. But Hintz stuck out his stick for an untimely trip that knocked his own teammate out of commission. Overall, it was a consequential play that was unfortunate for everyone involved. Still, hockey social media gets outraged at the 32-year-old. Imagine if there's a biopic on Patrick Mahomes's life and Stone gets offered the role.
People in Edmonton would hold a candlelight vigil for Connor McDavid, thinking he'd be Stone's next victim. Hockey Twitter would make up a rumor about the Winnipeg native eating puppies and kittens like Saturn devouring his son. Josh from San Francisco would scream like he was on fire. It'd be...
Well said, Bill Murray. These days, you can't win if you're No. 61 on the Golden Knights. All Stone needs to do is dress up as a referee and call a Kansas City Chiefs game. That way, he can conjure the anger of NFL fans everywhere and collect them like Infinity Stones. But in all seriousness, people think Stone is the "Devil" in the NHL landscape. Is that the case, though?
The play in question
In case you're wondering why Mark Stone was called for his execution, there was a play on Tuesday night that involved Dallas Stars forward Miro Heiskanen. Center Roope Hintz came behind Stone and knocked his stick into Stone's skate as he tried to poke-check Heiskanen. This resulted in the Captain falling and tripping the Finnish forward, knocking him out of commission.
It also resulted in a minor penalty for tripping, swinging the momentum further into Dallas's favor. But was the move intentional? You be the judge.
Stone says this trip from Hintz caused him to fall into Heiskanen pic.twitter.com/eDL94AbcTX
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) January 29, 2025
Again, believe me when I say it took a couple of looks to see what was happening. However, reviewing it further reveals there was no ill will. Stone initially tried for a poke check, only to be thrown off by Hintz at the last second. He even told Willie Ramirez of the Hockey News about the play.
"There was really no intent there. Obviously, I was just trying to make a play on the puck and their guy kind of trips me into him headfirst. "Mark Stone to Hockey News
Sometimes, things don't go as planned
Hintz poking Stone with his stick might've hurt Heiskanen in the third period. But it also could've given the Golden Knights forward another one-way trip to LTIR land. That would've put Vegas down a man and left them scrambling for more Henderson Silver Knights call-ups.
Sure, hockey fans will still blame Stone because...
"ThE hOcKeY pLaYeR gUy CuT hIs SpLeEn To Go On LtIr. StOnE gUy BaD." (By the way, don't cut your spleen. You can die from that.)
However, the narrative doesn't add up here. There are some hockey players in the world who have bad intentions (i.e. Evander Kane). But the Winnipeg native isn't one of those players. He happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, watching a routine poke check turn into an unfortunate injury.
Therefore, it's time for the social media rhetoric around the forward to die. No, Mark Stone doesn't intentionally fall down a flight of stairs to go on LTIR. No, he doesn't trip players for giggles, either. He gets caught in some unfortunate circumstances which leave him compromised. Sometimes, that's life for you.