Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Stone says he scored Stanley Cup hat trick with serious injury

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Aug 15, 2023 8:24 PM ET

If scoring a hat trick in the series-clinching game of the Stanley Cup Final wasn’t impressive enough, Las Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone admitted on Tuesday that he did it while playing with a broken wrist.

The All-Star right winger disclosed during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday that he essentially scored the final two goals of his hat trick one-handed.

“Yeah I, unfortunately, took a whack in the first period and fractured my left wrist,” Stone said. “I took a few things in between periods to make sure that (it) was good to go for the last one because I didn’t want to keep playing knowing I did that. I had to make sure it was dialed in to lift the (Stanley Cup) trophy too. … I made sure I wasn’t feeling much in the wrist during the celebration.”

MARK STONE FINISHES THE HAT TRICK

(via @Sportsnet)pic.twitter.com/CxkETr54zk
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 14, 2023

Stone confirmed the injury occurred in the first period after he scored his first goal 11:52 into the period. He added his second goal in the final three minutes of the second period and he finished off the hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final five minutes of the final period.

Stone’s performance sealed the first-ever Stanley Cup championship in franchise history and is punctuated by a spectacular postseason run for him personally that included 11 goals and 24 points with a shooting percentage of 22.4 in 22 games while averaging 18:54 of ice time per outing.

Mark Stone led the way for Vegas with his 2nd career playoff hat trick.

He's the 3rd player in NHL history with a hat trick in a Cup clinching win, and the only one in the last century. pic.twitter.com/EQgKrFK1Q0
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 14, 2023

“You never know when you’re going to win again,” Stone added. “You might never win again. While you’re there, you’re going to give it a try. … Everybody wants to win. We all want to win; we’ll do anything to win.”

The wrist injury wasn’t the only major health issue Stone battled last season. In February, he underwent his second back surgery in a nine-month span. Although his regular season ended after just 43 games, Stone returned in time for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and didn’t miss a beat.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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