'NICE TO BE BACK'

Patience, they say, is a virtue.
But for a man that's been through it all, from a career-threatening blood clot, to a series of one-year deals and the uncertainty that follows, what's another 397 days?
(But who's counting?)

Despite putting in the work and waiting for that tap on the shoulder - and skating almost every since at the Scotiabank Saddledome - Michael Stone had to pause for that long between NHL tilts.
Turns out, it was worth it.
"It was nice to be back," said Stone, who played 13:55 on Saturday and had two shots on goal - including a screamer from the left circle that caught Winnipeg goalie Laurent Brossoit up high near the collarbone. "It's fun playing in the best league in the world and to have another opportunity to do it was great.
"I've watched a lot of games. I wanted to go in and try to help in any way I could and contribute. I felt I accomplished that as best I could."
Stone's last appearance came way back on Feb. 25. 2020 in Boston. Ironically, that was the day after the trade deadline, where newly acquired defencemen Erik Gustafsson and Derek Forbort also made their Flames debuts.
With a stacked blueline, followed by an off-season that brought UFAs Chris Tanev and Nikita Nesterov, along with rookie Juuso Valimaki into the mix, getting his foot back in the door proved to be difficult.
So, he did what he's always done over his five years in these colours - he put his nose to the grindstone and earned it.
The hard way.
"That was pretty impressive stuff by Stoney," said captain Mark Giordano, who spends his off-seasons in Calgary and skated with his fellow blueliner at the 'Dome regularly over the summer. "He got a lot of great looks, a lot of shots. He's come to the rink every day and put the work in and you can tell. I thought he was really solid, really up in the play. He deserves a lot of recognition for that - missing that much time, but putting in the work to get back in.
"When you have a veteran guy, who knows the game like Stoney does, sometimes it's easier for him to come in and play that solid like he did the other night. But a big part is the off-season work that he's putting in, for sure."
Stone spent most of the season on the taxi squad, which meant plenty of travelling and even more practice - a schedule that he looks back on and chuckles at now.
Fortunately, he did get a chance to get some game action in last week, suiting up for four tilts with the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat and showing quite well.
He scored twice and had six penalty minutes, along with a +1 rating in those dates, while playing big minutes alongside rookie Connor Mackey.
He also did this:

What a save!
With the clock winding down, it was an incredibly noble play in a game that was already out of reach. But he put his body on the line, anyway.
Stone was keen to get those AHL minutes, knowing that after speaking with Head Coach Darryl Sutter, that stint could soon lead to another shot with the Flames.
"He was game ready," Sutter said. "That was important.
"Brad (Treliving) had talked to him before we want on that trip to (Toronto and Ottawa), that we'd like him to stay back and play some games, which he did and he was thankful and glad to be able to do it.
"I told him he had to be ready to go. Not having played any games for that long, he wasn't ready to go.
"So, getting the Stockton games were very important for him. And then, as I said after (the game Saturday), it's not that hard to figure out: With his experience, if he's playing on his toes, closing gaps and keeping his game simple, (he) can help us."
Stone will be back in the lineup again tonight as the Flames look to win the rubber-match in this three-game set with the Jets.
Two games in three days, without a single practice in between.
That's more like the schedule that players dream of.
"I have no idea," Stone laughed when asked how many total skates he had between NHL games, before Saturday. "I would imagine it would be a lot.
"That's a big number, I would say."