Michael Stone steps in, steps up for Calgary Flames in the playoffs
He watched far more games than he played this season, but Flames defenceman Michael Stone came out of the press box to make an impact in the playoffs for Calgary.
Calgary was one of the healthier NHL teams in 2021-22 and Stone, the No. 7 defenceman on the depth chart, was rarely activated to fill in on the back end.
The 31-year-old from Winnipeg appeared in just 11 regular-season games and sat the first three of Calgary's first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars.
Flames head coach Darryl Sutter opting to go with seven defencemen and 11 forwards in Game 4, instead of six and 12, was Stone's opening.
The six-foot-three, 210-pound defenceman put a combined 17 shots on net and contributed a goal and two assists over the next four games as Calgary closed out the series in seven.
Stone averaging just under 15 minutes a game, including two minutes per game of power-play time, eased the workload of his teammates.
He logged 21:30 in Game 7 when Chris Tanev was injured.
"I come to work every day and whatever is needed from me, I'm hopefully there to provide that,'' Stone said. "I was given an opportunity to play in the last series and I just wanted to make the most of that.''
Stone has a sense of occasion. His seventh game of the regular season April 6 was his career 500th. Stone's game-winner was his first goal of the season and he also had an assist in a 4-2 win over Anaheim.
He's extended his career by being ready to make an impact in the few opportunities and limited minutes he gets.
"I think it's probably the hardest role to have on the team,'' Flames forward Milan Lucic said. "When Stoney came in the lineup, it gave us an energy boost and he provided us with that.
"He had eight shots in his first game and was a difference-maker the whole series every time he came in.
"He has a lot of respect from us as a group, and the work and time he's put in to keep himself ready. When he's come in, he's always provided us with energy and quality minutes. We trust in him and know he's going to continue being a great player for us.''
Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in a 2017 trade, Stone was limited to 14 games in 2018-19 because of a blood clot in his arm.
Calgary bought out the last year of his contract in August of 2019, but then resigned him a month later to the league minimum when Juuso Valimaki suffered a long-term knee injury.
"The first conversation was a little unique. 'Hi Mike, remember me?''' Flames general manager Brad Treliving said at that time.
Stone, who spent his major junior career with the Calgary Hitmen, agreed to return to the Flames because he didn't want to uproot his young family to play elsewhere.
He continued to sign for the league minimum with the Flames to play mostly an understudy role.
Stone was injured and didn't play when Calgary lost out in the first round in 2019.
He didn't appear in any playoff games in Edmonton's playoff bubble two years ago, so Stone's getting his first playoff reps since 2017.
He acknowledges his career has taken an interesting path.
"I would say it's probably a unique one that not many would be taking,'' Stone said. ``I don't think anybody, myself included, stopped believing that I could be a difference. It just took awhile.''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.