Fresh off 2nd back surgery in 13 months, Mark Stone captains Vegas to Stanley Cup

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone hoists the Stanley Cup after the Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. The Knights won the series 4-1. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Mark Stone, as captain of the Vegas Golden Knights, got to skate up to Commissioner Gary Bettman, who presented him with the Stanley Cup.

Stone then lifted the 34 1/2-pound trophy over his head, an incredible achievement for the veteran winger who recently had two back surgeries in a span of nine months.

"The look in my teammates eyes when I got it is one of the craziest feelings I've ever had," Stone said. "Just to know that I did it with my 25, 30 best friends makes it that much more special."

Stone had a hat trick in Vegas' series-ending Game 5 victory Tuesday night, giving him nine points in the Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

"He's a great leader: He's really passionate in terms of how he plays," general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. "The more you watch him, the more you appreciate him. ... He makes the people around him better."

Stone has been the Golden Knights' leader since he was named the franchise's first captain in 2021. He was also their biggest trade pickup after their inaugural season trip to the Cup final in 2018 that ended with a loss to Washington on home ice.

He made sure this final ended in five with the first hat trick in a Cup-clinching win since Babe Dye in 1922.

"The way he plays, he's just outstanding," linemate and golf partner Chandler Stephenson said. "Him leading by example tonight, there's no surprise there."

Stephenson said Stone hasn't been able to play golf lately because of the back injury, which flared up in January. The team thought Stone would able to rehab and return, then a setback led to surgery and questions of whether he'd play again.

He missed the remainder of the regular season but returned for Game 1 of the first round.

"There was concerns that his career might be in jeopardy," McCrimmon said. "Real credit to him and the work that he's put in."

Stone was a point-a-game performer in the playoffs. But he's also arguably the best defensive winger in hockey and was a big part of Vegas' edge and physicality.

"If you see him and you stand beside him, there's a reason why he's as powerful as he is, so I don't think he gets enough credit at the defensive side of the game for what he's capable of doing," teammate Alex Pietrangelo said. "He does a lot of things away from the puck that go unnoticed."

He was very noticeable in the playoffs and will be immortalized in the photos and video of Stone lifting the Cup.

"I can't even describe the feelings in my stomach right now," Stone said. "It's everything you can imagine. The grind of an 82-game season, four playoff rounds, you grind and you grind and you grind and at the end of the day you're the last team standing. It's incredible."