Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone will always have a soft spot for Ottawa. Six years after he was traded away by the Senators, Stone still spends most of his summers in the city. He has a boatload of friends here, and he’s pleased to see that the Senators—his former team—are playing so well again. Stone appeared this week on the Coming in Hot podcast [https://www.youtube.com/live/CGN1SOaes5A?si=FuZDP2Bnk6g-m7eD] with hosts Brent Wallace, Jason York, and Graeme Nichols, and shared some thoughts about his former team, including his friend, former teammate and tenant, Brady Tkachuk. THN's Steve Warne discusses the NHL's 2026 Olympic participation with co-host Gregg Kennedy. Stone says it hasn’t been much fun to play against Tkachuk or his brother, Matthew, including a pair of international tilts during the recent 4 Nations Face-Off. In truth, Stone joked, he sometimes wasn't even big on playing with Tkachuk. “I’d be lying if I said I wanted to play every night against [the Tkachuks], that’s for sure,” Stone said. “I mean, there were some nights I didn’t even want to be on Brady’s line in Ottawa because you knew you were going to have to be in a scrum every second shift. I’m like, ‘All right, buddy, let’s just relax here.’” That was, in no way, an attempt to throw shade at Tkachuk. The interview was fun and respectful throughout. Stone says he believes that the Sens captain has toned things down a bit and is starting to realize just how valuable he is on the ice. “As he goes, the team goes, in my opinion. He’s their engine. Obviously, he’s the captain at such a young age. He had learned so much, but had so much to learn as well. I think the experiences – whether it’s Four Nations or getting to the playoffs for the first time, even the negatives, right? Even going through those years of struggle, I think it probably put it in his mind, like, ‘I don’t want to be back there,’ right? ‘I never want that to happen again.’ "I think he’s really done a good job getting through that adversity and getting ready, and putting this team in a great position.” As a personal observation – Stone said nothing to this effect at all – but the tough times Brady and the Senators have gone through in Ottawa the past six years probably galvanize Stone's belief that he got out at just the right time in 2019. Stone described his affection for the Tkachuk family when asked about Brady’s bachelor party three years ago, which happened right after Stone and the Knights defeated Matthew and the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. “Yeah, we’re obviously friends, good friends,” Stone said. “You know, obviously love that family. So we had a great time at that bachelor party. The last one I’ve been to, actually. So as I said, they’re such good, good people. I’m so happy that they were able to win the next year. You know, I’m sure it was tough for him, congratulating me. But yeah, it’s impressive now what they’re doing in Florida.” If Stone’s time in Ottawa and in Vegas have something in common, it would be the fairly high roster turnover. But the reasons for the volume of roster changes couldn’t be more different. “Well, I think you look at Vegas two ways. You’re losing buddies, but you know, when I was in Ottawa, unfortunately, it was losing friends for the wrong reasons. In Vegas, it’s the nature of the business. It sucks, but we’re always looking to get better, so that’s what is very attractive to me. There’s just a ton of internal pressure to try and win every single year, and that’s something I love being a part of.” Stone has now been gone from the Senators for six years but says he’s only been back at Canadian Tire Centre for two games since the 2019 trade, which he described as 'brutal.' “I love coming back here. Still spend my summers here. Super happy with where the (Senators) are going, right? I like to say I’ve got a lot of friends on the team, but there are only three guys left from when I was here (Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, and Drake Batherson). But I still love watching the guys play. So I love coming back into the facility, seeing the staff, because the majority of the staff is still the same, which is awesome. “Those guys were some of the best in the league, still are, whether it’s the equipment guys, the medical staff, strength staff. They’ve got a great, great staff there. “So I love coming back in.” Mark Stone and the Vegas Golden Knights will visit Ottawa on January 25. By Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa] Image Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images This article orginally appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa, where you'll find all the latest Senators news: 2018 World Junior Trial Ends: Former Senator Alex Formenton Found Not Guilty [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/2018-world-junior-trial-ends-former-ottawa-senator-alex-formenton-found-not-guilty-of-sexual-assault] Croatia's NHL Trailblazer: Sens Prospect Bruno Idžan Takes NHL Road Less Travelled [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/croatia-s-nhl-trailblazer-the-story-of-ottawa-senators-prospect-bruno-idzan] Top 3 Ottawa Senators Bounce-Back Candidates For 2025-26 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/top-3-ottawa-senator-bounce-back-candidates-in-2025-26] Sens Captain Brady Tkachuk Celebrates Hard at Brother Matthew's Wedding [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/ottawa-senators-captain-brady-tkachuk-celebrates-hard-at-matthew-s-wedding] Can The Senators Count On Dylan Cozens To Consistently Produce? 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