Peter DeBoer, Mark Stone and a wild 48 hours in Canada’s capital

By Justin Emerson

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 | 9:15 p.m.

OTTAWA, Ontario — It would have been easy to look at the Golden Knights schedule at the beginning of the season and shrug off a game against the Ottawa Senators as unimportant. After all, it’s an Eastern Conference opponent who hasn’t been in contention in a couple of years. That matchup couldn’t mean much, right? 

But things quickly change in hockey. 

For a game that initially didn’t jump off the schedule, Thursday’s 4-2 Golden Knights win at Canadian Tire Centre could be remembered for a long time.

It was Peter DeBoer’s first game as coach. He was hired Wednesday in a stunning move, supplanting the first and only coach in Vegas history. DeBoer was at the helm of the rival San Jose Sharks just 33 days ago, and seeing him in Golden Knights apparel felt like a bizarre fever dream, especially for Vegas supporters.

The game against the Senators was also Mark Stone’s return to the organization that made him the player he is. The Senators drafted Stone, developed him, helped him grow into a Selke finalist and elite forward. They traded him to Vegas last season once it was clear they could not resign him, ending a nine-year run during which Stone in 2017 was one game away from the Stanley Cup Final.

Thursday night was special for both. Here are their stories from a whirlwind two days leading up to the win over the Senators.

From South Florida to southern Ontario

DeBoer was enjoying time with his wife and daughter poolside in Florida on Tuesday. He had been unemployed for a month and was not expecting a phone call. And certainly not expecting to hear from Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon.

“It really was out of left field and that quick,” DeBoer said. “We were actually looking for a condo down in Florida, so we put that on hold, and we’re looking in Vegas now.”

It didn’t take a lot of persuading for him to get off a beach and onto a plane. The Golden Knights’ job is one a coach dreams of, with a Hall of Fame goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury, two star wingers in Stone and Max Pacioretty, and all the underlying statistics that say the team’s 25-19-6 record is a poor indicator of its true talent level. 

It’s not a job that was ever made public — DeBoer’s hiring was announced simultaneously with Gerard Gallant’s firing — but if it were, it would have been one of the more competitive gigs available.

DeBoer said goodbye to his family and hit the road. He didn’t pack much, not even having time to grab a suit or skates. He did acquire a suit before the game started — no word on the skates, but he didn’t need them Thursday because didn’t arrive until after morning skate ended.

From South Florida, DeBoer hopped on a flight Wednesday to Toronto, which ended up getting canceled. DeBoer reached Ottawa about noon, or 15 minutes after the players had left the ice and 15 minutes before addressing the media for the first time. He had his introductory press conference before he met his new players.

“Not much has gone right,” he joked this morning. “Hopefully tonight we can turn that around. It’s been a whirlwind.”

He finally met the players, many of whom were surely concerned with how a new coach would alter their status with the team. 

Ryan Reaves jokingly offered him a hug to bury the hatchet from past animosity, which DeBoer politely declined. He was able to hold some quick video meetings and start the coaching part of the job. He found out top center William Karlsson would be out with an upper-body injury, forcing him to reconfigure the lines on his first day on the job.

Once he reached the bench and the puck dropped against the Senators, he was in his element — it helped that Paul Stastny scored 34 into the game. He leaned heavily on Stone, Pacioretty and Stastny, who were tremendous as a line. Fleury was solid, and DeBoer improved to 1-0 as coach of the Golden Knights.

“I think he was just soaking it all in and trying to get to know each and every one of us as players, as people,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “I think as the game went on he got a lot more comfortable with guys.”

It did differ from San Jose in one major way, namely the absence of veteran stalwarts Joe Thornton and Brent Burns.

“I told them if I called any of them Jumbo or Burnzie to kick me,” he said after the game. “But I didn’t. I didn’t make any mistakes on names, but it was a good night.

“After a tough week and some hard days, it was nice to get a win and move past that.”

A happy homecoming

Stone said the first weird thing that happened was checking into a hotel. “That wasn’t something that’s normal,” he said.

He had been back in Ottawa since the trade for a monthlong visit in the summer, but this was his first time back for work. Stone arrived in town earlier than DeBoer — near the stroke of midnight on Tuesday going into Wednesday.

Last year, Stone hosted then-rookie Brady Tkachuk as a roommate at his house in Ottawa, one in which Tkachuk still lives in and pays rent to Stone. When the Golden Knights arrived, Stone was the one visiting Tkachuk, whose parents were also staying at the home.

“It was familiar, and it was awesome to see a couple close friends,” Stone said. “It was awesome to see Brady’s parents. I’ve got a good relationship with them.”

Stone skated Wednesday at practice, but not Thursday at morning skate. He was swarmed by media on both days asking him about his new coach, the team’s struggles and what it’s like to play in Ottawa again. 

Once the game started, he treated the Canadian Tire Centre the same way he did when he came out of the home tunnel. At the 34-second mark of the first he had a primary assist and scored with 1:05 left in the second period, letting loose the same celebrations that the Senator faithful had come to love.

The only difference between this game and any other from puck drop to final horn was the video tribute during the first TV timeout. They showed it in the arena, and AT&T SportsNet carried it live in Las Vegas. Stone couldn’t salute the fans watching on TV but hopped onto the ice and waved acknowledgment to the fans in attendance giving him a standing ovation.

“Those were the good times,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to be part of two great runs here: one regular season run, and one awesome playoff run. I met a ton of good people, still communicate with a lot of those people. As you guys see, a lot of guys spend their summers in Ottawa. It’s an awesome place to live, it’s an awesome place to have a family and it’s an awesome place to play hockey.

“It was unfortunate that we weren’t able to end my career here, but at the same time Vegas has become home, and it’s now the place that I want to spend the rest of my career.”

Stone finished his media obligations, first to TSN in Canada then to the horde waiting at his locker. He jumped in the shower, put on a suit and a black beanie and headed for the exits.

The Golden Knights play next in Montreal on Saturday, with a practice there at 1 p.m. Friday. But before Stone heads out, he has some more old friends he needs to see. It’s been two days but after nine years, Stone wasn’t done with Ottawa just yet.