Player of the Month for May
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Player of the Month for May
Winnipeg ’ s Mark Stone Leads Sens into Second Round
By Carter Brooks Photos by James Carey Lauder
For Winnipeg ’ s Mark Stone , a team leader who helped guide the Ottawa Senators past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs , there is no such thing as too much hockey .
From an early age , hockey became a mainstay in the Stone household . Whether it was watching the game on television , playing on the street with his older brother Michael ( now with the Calgary Flames ), or taking in his father ’ s weekly men ’ s league games , the fastest game on earth was continually pumped through Stone ’ s veins .
“ Michael and I competed against each other a ton in the backyard as kids – heck running up the stairs was a race for us ,” he said . “ Just little things like that kind of prepared us . Way back in minor hockey people always said that we were better than some of the other kids , but for us I just think we were just that much more competitive than everyone else , and that ’ s probably why we made it this far .”
That high exposure to hockey has definitely paid off .
After being drafted by the Western Hockey League ’ s Brandon Wheat Kings , Stone enjoyed four extremely productive seasons in the WHL . Now with the Sens , Stone , 25 , has upped the ante once again , finishing the past three seasons with more than 22 goals and 50 points – even once reaching 64 points ( 2014-15 ).
“ I watched hockey every Saturday night ,” he said . “ It was the Leafs at six here , and then you ’ d catch either the Flames or the Canucks later at night . Saturday was one of the few days that your parents would let you stay up and catch both games , so for me it was all about getting in that NHL hockey . I went to the odd Moose game , and I actually watched ( now teammate ) Alex Burrows play a little bit , but it was all about the NHL for me .”
Stone – who recently found himself named to the Brandon Wheat Kings ’ All-Time Team – is
an advocate for the importance of outdoor play . In a world where technology and ‘ devices ’ seem to draw most of the younger generation ’ s attention , Stone emphasizes just how beneficial natural entertainment and the outdoors can be . “ We used to shoot pucks at each other for fun , well , OK , tennis balls – but I guess they turned into pucks when it was that cold outside ,” he said . “ We had tons of guys come over and constantly play road hockey games . Those are the things that help you with your skills . When you know the puck or ball is bouncing around and you ’ re batting stuff out of the air … those things are hugely beneficial for young kids to do . It just so happened that we did those things every day , either at home or at the outdoor rink .” Raised in Winnipeg ’ s Westwood neighbourhood , Stone spent the better part of his childhood at Keith Bodley Arena . Even though returning to play the Jets at MTS Centre is fun for both Stone and his parents , it ’ s the chance to visit his old stomping grounds that gets him most excited . “ For me Keith Bodley is the one rink that I will always remember for the rest of my life ,” he said .
“ It ’ s that one place that I enjoy going to the most . My dad still walks the dogs by there every day and talks to the same rink manager , Mike Horbow . He ’ s still there , and my dad still talks to him . I think it ’ s pretty cool for those guys to have seen my brother and I make it all the way up .” n
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