Forward Mark Stone “feeling positive” for 2022-23 season opener with Golden Knights


Forward Mark Stone “feeling positive” for 2022-23 season opener with Golden Knights

Mark Stone

Mark Stone has started skating with his teammates for light exercises, as of now. He is confident about his health and stated that he’s getting better every day and also improving mentally. Getting injured for the third time since last year has taken a toll on him.

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The 30-year-old said that he’s ready for the training camp, but not yet sure when he’ll be joining. He has to undergo a check up with his doctor and get the green signal. The team is having its opening night on October 11 against the Los Angeles Kings.

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Mark Stone describes the recovery process: “Slow. Long. Boring, I guess”

Mark Stone
Mark Stone

It will be his first game since he underwent back surgery on May 19. At the NHL North American Player Media at Lifeguard Arena, Mark Stone commented, “I feel really positive”.

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“Do I know if I’m 100 percent yet? No, I don’t. But I feel great. But I won’t really know until I test it in training camp. I’ve been climbing a mountain all summer and I feel like I’m pretty close to the top,” he said.

His injury against the Edmonton Oilers on February 8 was the last straw. Though he did return and participated in the Stanley Cup run, the team missed the playoffs, the first since entering the 2017-18 season. He ended the season by recording 30 points with 9 goals and 21 assists.

Later he had to undergo a lumbar discectomy to treat his lower back disc before planning to return to this season. He said, “I had an experience in L.A., the second game of the season, I couldn’t move”. 

“I had an experience before Christmas, I couldn’t move. The last game I played against Edmonton, I could barely get back on the bus. After the Edmonton one, I knew I couldn’t keep going like this.” Now “it’s fixed and I should be able to continue on my career the way it was going before last year.”

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When asked about the recovery process, Stone stated, “Slow. Long. Boring, I guess.” “The mental hurdle’s the hardest, for sure”. “Especially now, you’re always thinking: ‘Does this feel bad? Does that feel bad? Does this feel right? Does that feel right?’”

“But I think that’s gonna be my last obstacle. I fully believe that I’m healthy, but there’s days where you feel like it could be a zit on your head, it takes away thinking about your back. Just trying to get away from it because I know that I’m healthy.”

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