Expressive Mark Stone is back as Knights prepare for home opener

Mark Stone fist-bumped Ben Hutton, high-fived William Karlsson, jabbed Alec Martinez in the stomach and gave a huge hug to goaltender Logan Thompson.

The Golden Knights captain had just delivered a dramatic 4-3 victory against the Kings in the team’s season opener Tuesday night at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena by scoring with 24 seconds left. He still had plenty of emotion to let out with his teammates. And that wasn’t even his main celebration.

Stone went berserk when he first saw his shot hit the top corner of the net, taking off skating immediately while shouting in full force. The 30-year-old has long been known as much for his incredible expressions as his one-ice heroics. But this one was different.

The Knights missed Stone’s energy when he battled a back injury last season. That reaction showed he was back in full force, not only as a player but as a galvanizing presence for his team.

“I think that’s something we’ve all been waiting for,” said defenseman Shea Theodore, who added Tuesday was “easily” among Stone’s top 20 celebrations. “With him missing significant time last year, I think he’s been saving some of those in the bank. It’s good to see that this early in the season.”

Stone is the first and only captain in Knights’ history for a reason.

The 30-year-old wasn’t with the franchise in its inaugural season, but he represents so many of the values that team was about. He was overlooked, lasting until the sixth round and 178th pick of the 2010 draft. He works hard at his craft. He competes. He cares.

Not only that, his passion rubs off in the locker room. Those qualities made Stone stand out on the Knights long before he was officially awarded the “C.”

“There’s an aura about leaders that makes you want to follow them and emulate what they do,” defenseman Zach Whitecloud said. “Stoney is one of those guys that has every aspect of that.”

Missing Stone and all that he brings set the Knights back for long stretches last season.

He played 37 games while missing 45. The Knights had the 11th-best points percentage in the NHL until he sat out a Feb. 9 game against the Calgary Flames and didn’t return for more than two months. They were 12-13-1 during that time and dropped out of the playoff picture.

Stone’s production wasn’t the only thing the Knights missed. He admitted after the season he felt it was harder for him to voice his opinion when he wasn’t suiting up and battling every night with his teammates.

On Tuesday, after undergoing offseason back surgery, he was on the ice, healthy and letting his emotions speak volumes.

“It’s very contagious,” said Karlsson, who gave the game-winner a “high rank” among Stone’s celebrations. “It’s his thing and we love it. It’s the same if he’s on the bench. He gets just as excited.”

Coach Bruce Cassidy believes the best leaders in the NHL lead by example.

He’s seen it up close, having coached numerous Stanley Cup-winning veterans such as Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. That’s what Cassidy sees in Stone.

The Knights’ captain brings energy on the ice and pulls his teammates into the fight. It’s something the team was missing much of last season. Stone didn’t wait long to bring it back and deliver another signature moment.

“You can see how excited the bench was,” Cassidy said. “There was guys jumping all over the place in Game 1. I think they’re excited for Mark, too, to see him healthy and back contributing. That says a lot about a person right there.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.