UnderdogMindset

Coming back from two back surgeries

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Mark Stone after scoring a hat trick in game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals
A HAT TRICK for Mark Stone in Game 5 clinches hockey immortality!
Posted: Jul 10, 2023 Updated: Dec 28, 2023
Hockey Injury

Mark Stone has been one of the best two-way hockey players since his NHL debut with the Ottawa Senators. He was traded to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2019 and continued his stellar play; he became the first captain of the Knights in 2021. However, that season did not end well for Las Vegas nor Mark Stone, as Stone went scoreless while the Montreal Canadiens eliminated them in the semi-finals.

Mark likely injured his back initially during the 2021 playoffs, causing him only to play 37 games the next season. The injury led to his first back surgery in May 2022. However, he would reinjure his back in January 2023, necessitating a second back injury. Back surgeries are risky, and two such surgeries in less than a year meant doubt would creep into whether it was still safe for Stone to play. But Mark never doubted he would come back and make it back in time for the playoffs on April 18 against the Winnipeg Jets. He scored 24 points in 22 playoff games, helping the Knights win their first-ever Stanley Cup.

Quotes

I'm happy for him. He's been through two major, major surgeries. Didn't know if he'd come back and play. We had no idea. Good for him.

Bruce Cassidy

At the time he had the surgery, there was concern that his career might be in jeopardy, because it was the second back surgery in nine months,

Kelly McCrimmon
References

  • Stone overcomes injury, adversity to lead Golden Knights to Cup win

    This season was supposed to be different, to be better, to be less painful. But no. The back was injured again Jan. 12 against the Panthers. It would be his final game of the 2022-23 regular season. He needed surgery, again.

  • How unbreakable Mark Stone has led Vegas to brink of Cup

    TWO BACK SURGERIES less than nine months apart sparked speculation in NHL circles about Stone's future. Armchair physicians saw a second surgery as a harbinger of something more chronic. Could he be the same player that he was? Could he continue to play?

  • "Typical Mark Stone"

    Forget retribution, Stone’s mere participation in these playoffs was in doubt after he underwent two back surgeries in a span of nine months. Nah, this is about redemption.

  • Down and Out: Golden Knights, Mark Stone come up empty as season ends

    But Stone played the worst hockey of his Golden Knights’ tenure at the worst time, recording no goals and no assists in a six-game series against the Canadiens. It was a disappointing end for a team with so much promise, and a disappointing end for a star who played so well until Vegas needed him most.

  • Stone named first captain of Golden Knights

    The Golden Knights, who entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 2017-18 season, did not have a captain for their first three seasons.