Dallas Stars Fans Furious With Former Ottawa Senator Mark Stone Over Miro Heiskanen Injury

Ottawa Senators fans remember Mark Stone not only as a great player in his 366 games with the club, but also as a class act. Now with the Vegas Golden Knights, Stone has always played the game the right way, kept his nose clean, and even took young players like Brady Tkachuk under his wing.

So, it was surprising to see Stone's name all over social media on Wednesday being labeled as "dirty."

During a game on Tuesday night between the Knights and the Dallas Stars, defenseman Miro Heiskanen had to be helped off the ice after Stone collided with his knee during a rush up ice. It didn't look good, and fans had plenty to say about it online.

With respect, it wasn't dirty, nor was it a "move," and the justification is obvious. Stone was tripped.

Just as Stone was in the process of starting to reach for the puck, Stars forward Roope Hintz tried to run interference for Heiskanen. Hintz poked Stone's skate blade on the way by, knocking him off balance as was trying to make a play.

You can see a better angle of it here.

To illustrate that the trip is what caused Stone to lose control while he was trying to compete for the puck, you can see in the video above that Stone also put his head right in the line of fire. That's not something any player would do intentionally.

It should also be noted that Stone has just six penalty minutes this season.

"I really hope (Heiskanen) is all right," Stone told the media after Tuesday's game. "But yeah, I was just trying to make a play and got tripped into him. I hope the outcome is good, but I think there was really no intent there.

"Obviously, I was just trying to make a play on the puck, and their guy (Hintz) kind of tripped me into him headfirst. I'd never dive headfirst into a guy."

The collision, the injury, and the debate adds another level to what's been a fierce rivalry between the Knights and Stars. They've met in the playoffs three times in the past five years, including two Western Conference Finals, and don't harbour much love for each other.

For Dallas fans, this so-called "dirty" play is infuriating, especially when it cost them their best defenseman. But this was nothing more than an accident.

For those who need a refresher on what being "dirty" in hockey looks like, Stars captain Jamie Benn set the bar for filth in this rivalry when he used his entire body weight to cross-check Stone in the face in May 2023.

What did you think of the collision? Leave us a note below in the comments and join the Hockey News' new fan forum, the Ottawa Senators Roundtable. Be sure to bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa for more stories like this.

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