Golden Knights' Mark Stone Calls Out Fans

The Vegas Golden Knights may be the most-hated team in the NHL today.

Apr 24, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) skates against the Dallas Stars during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

During their inaugural season, the Vegas Golden Knights were the NHL's darlings as fans watched in awe as they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, something nearly unprecedented for an expansion franchise.

Even though it's only been a little over six years since then, it feels like a lifetime ago. Now, Vegas is possibly the most-hated team in the league for a variety of reasons. Between their ruthless treatment of players (see the Marc-Andre Fleury trade), their LTIR shenanigans and winning a cup in just their sixth season, becoming the fastest team to do so since the Original Six era, the Knights are a team that many hockey fans outright despise now.

The thing is, they're well aware of that hate. In an interview with Gary Lawless of the team's site, Knights captain Mark Stone explained how the team thrives off their villain status, and they aren't content to go away any time soon.

"As I'm older I have realized that people are going to put a bullseye on our back because they want to see us fail," Stone said. "We haven't failed too much in our history. People want to see the Golden Knights crash and burn. But like I said, I think the foundation we built doesn't really allow for that to happen. So, I'm feeling confident.

"I think the team is excited to get back. We definitely have that chip on our shoulder. A lot of people in our industry don't believe that we can get back to the team that we know we are, but time will tell. We still believe that we're one of the teams that is going to training camp with the chance to win the Stanley Cup."

Vegas lost a lot of key pieces over the offseason, most notably Jonathan Marchessault, last season's leading scorer and the 2023 Conn Smythe winner, and Chandler Stephenson, a rock-solid two-way forward who paired very well with Stone.

There's also the matter of Stone's health, as the captain has been limited to just 136 games over the past three seasons due to a pair of back injuries and a lacerated spleen last season. On the other hand, Stone going on LTIR allowed the Knights to bring in several key players at the deadline, and ultimately helped them win the Cup in 2023. Either way, the 32-year-old expects to be fully healthy this season.

"I feel good. I was feeling great last year too," Stone said. "I was having one of the better statistical years of my career too until I had that freak accident. I’m feeling good and energized after an unfortunate long summer. I am excited to get back playing.

"People think I'm lying when I say I expect to play 82 games every year. Unfortunately, I’ve had some tough injuries that I've had to deal with along the way, but I think that just builds the adversity of what our team has gone through over the last number of years."

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