'This Is My Barn': Mark Stone Brings Stanley Cup to Childhood Rink in Winnipeg

While the Vegas Golden Knights are synonymous with grand reveals, the start of their captain's day with the Stanley Cup was anything but theatrical.

It was humble, just like Winnipeg’s middle-class neighborhood of Westwood, where Stone grew up and left a mark on the community throughout his upbringing and NHL career so far.

Before a black limousine bus ushered Stone, his family and the Stanley Cup to his childhood rink, the vibe in the Kirkfield Westwood Community Centre parking lot had a bit more Golden Knights apparel than usual in Manitoba. While Stone’s event was not publicized, word of mouth spread throughout the neighborhood. A crowd of no larger than 30 people gathered outside the community center’s rink, Keith Bodley Arena, to get a glimpse of Lord Stanley and the captain who made this moment happen.

When the limousine pulled up, Stone was the last to step off – and he did so with a beaming smile while holding the Stanley Cup over his head. He carried the Cup into the building – past the canteen in the foyer entryway that he and his teammates took turns running as young kids – and headed right for the rink.

“This is my barn,” Stone told the two keepers of the Cup accompanying him. “It hasn’t changed a lick.”

Mark Stone’s hockey journey originates in this community center, located a five-minute walk from his childhood home. It’s where he learned how to skate. It’s where he spent countless hours on the outdoor rink – where his dad, Rob, was one of a few parents that volunteered their Friday and Saturday nights to flood it. It’s where he fell in love with the game. And nearly two decades since he was last here, Stone’s returning to his old stomping grounds as a Stanley Cup champion.

“That’s been the dream our whole lives,” said Mark’s brother, Michael Stone, who retired from the NHL this past summer.

To see his brother accomplish this feat is impressive in itself, but it’s even greater given the road Stone had to take to get there. Stone, a sixth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators, persevered past the questions about his skating to become one of the NHL’s elite talents. Then this year, before the 2022-23 playoffs, Stone had two back surgeries within nine months and endured a gruelling rehab to be ready for the post-season.

“When he initially said that he would be ready to play, I was a little unsure of that,” Michael Stone said. “You don’t want to mess around with your back.”

Stone’s mother, Jackie Stone, said she was nervous.

“I was always on pins and needles because I had watched him bend over and then not be able to get back up – it breaks your heart,” she said.

But Stone went on to play a pivotal role in the Golden Knights championship, recording 24 points in 22 games – including a hat trick in a Cup-clinching Game 5 — and a playoff-high 31 takeaways.

“For him to come back and be a key piece of a Stanley Cup-winning team — I get chills just thinking about it,” Nashville Predators forward Cody Glass, a former teammate of Stone’s in Vegas, said on a phone call.

Growing up, Mark Stone tagged along with his older brother to the outdoor rink religiously.

“Those outdoor rinks, for me, are sacred,” Stone said.

For hockey players growing up in Manitoba, the outdoor rinks are synonymous with the frigid cold.

“There’s so much that’s special about the outdoor rink when you’re a kid. It’s your happy place,” said Hershey Bears defenseman Dylan McIlrath, who played spring hockey with Stone until he was 12. “You go there and pretty much leave all your worries once you’re lacing up the skates on the benches outdoors.”

But for Stone, it was more than just a recreational activity. Those nights on the outdoor rink in Winnipeg played a pivotal part in his evolution as a player. It’s where he first encountered adversity – pushing himself to keep up with players much older than him.

“That’s where I learned most of my stuff,” Stone said. “Would I have benefited from a skating coach at that age? Yeah, probably. But maybe I wouldn’t have learned the game as well as I have.”

On the outdoor rink – amid the flurry of bodies partaking in shinny – Stone developed the intelligence that defines his game today. It’s where he learned some of his signature skills, like taking away passing lanes.

“It was probably the most fun I had playing hockey as a kid,” Stone said.

When Stone returned to the foyer after his initial twirl around the rink, a large contingent of fans had since arrived and were lined out the door, waiting for a picture with him. Despite the attempt to keep the event low-profile, it didn’t stop Stone from taking a picture with each patron and signing whatever merchandise they had. 

At the end of the day, as much as bringing the Cup to Keith Bodley was about his love for his second home as a child, it’s also about a broader purpose – community, and the effect on a neighborhood when they see one of their own reach the pinnacle of success.

“I played for the Winnipeg Hawks and then the Winnipeg Thrashers, just like he did,” Glass said. “Then, I went to the WHL like he did. Growing up, I was always following his career.”

Stone used to do the same.

“For me and my brother, it was seeing Jonathan Toews make the NHL,” he said. “And then it was seeing my brother play in the NHL. If you can see more and more guys (reach the NHL), it just shows that you can make it.” 

For those kids running around the rink and getting to see their hometown Cup champion, the memories from Tuesday's event may inspire them to dream of following Stone's footsteps as well.