Ranking the best Mark Stone moments of all-time

Tuesday is Mark Stone's 32nd birthday. Love him or hate him, the Vegas Golden Knights leader has been the focal point of many heated discussions. That centers around LTIR controversies, where other teams have adapted such a strategy (see Evander Kane with the Oilers and Miro Heiskanen with the Stars).

Regardless, Stone has been one of the centerpieces for the Golden Knights since being traded to the team in 2019. His statistical breakdown is one that leaves him with franchise greats such as Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson.

Those numbers make him one of the greatest Golden Knights in its short-lived history. Still, that's a great precedent to set, especially for a franchise that's made two Stanley Cup Finals and won a championship in eight seasons.

In honor of one of the most memorable (and controversial) hockey players to exist, here are three crowning moments for the Captain. After all, you can't have a competitive franchise without ruffling a few feathers! What stood out for the 32-year-old? What was THEE defining moment of Stone's career in Las Vegas?

3.) Mark Stone stuns the Colorado Avalanche

The Vegas Golden Knights were in a dogfight with the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. They were looking to take advantage and gain control of the series. Enter Mark Stone.

All alone on the breakaway, Stone fired a wrister past Philipp Grubauer for the overtime winner. The Golden Knights went on to win the series, defeating the Avalanche in Game 6, doubling them up by a score of 6-3.

While the run would abruptly end by Carey Price's hand in the next round, it showed the Golden Knights had the scoring depth to win it all. It also carried momentum into the next game, where Vegas put the final nail in the coffin.

2.) Stone's back-to-back goals against the Winnipeg Jets

The Golden Knights were down, 1-0, against the Winnipeg Jets. They needed an absolute outbreak against Connor Hellebuyck and company to get back into the series.

That's when Mark Stone struck, scoring on a tip-in to put the Golden Knights up, 4-2. He added the cherry on top to end Game 2's rout. Vegas ended up winning the series and went on a deep playoff run. Of course, this wasn't the defining moment of the 2023 Stanley Cup run.

1.) Mark Stone's hat trick in Game 5

There's no better moment for the Captain than scoring a hat trick in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. When it comes to winning the Stanley Cup, it adds to that prestige and pedigree. That's exactly what happened for Mark Stone when Vegas won its first title in franchise history.

It started on a shorthanded play in the first period, where Stone raced down the ice, braked, and scored on Sergei Bobrovsky. He got another in the second period and capped off a periodical hat trick with an empty-netter in the third period.

It was easily Stone's crowning moment as a Golden Knights forward, sealing the deal for a team that wanted to fulfill a promise. Sure, there might've been some controversy along the way. However, he etched his name in Vegas hockey history as one of the greatest players around.