REUNITED

This holiday-season the movie Elf might just be receiving more screen time at the Stone family residence than it did first-run in theatres back in 2003.

"But only the first half an hour,'' says dad Michael of the penchant of his 15-month-olds Jolie and Wyatt to call for yet another viewing of the Blu-Ray edition of Will Ferrell's trek from the North Pole to New York City in search of his biological dad.
"Funny movie but it's been on every day for the last month and a half.
"They only last the first half-an-hour. They love that but then they're doing something else. They don't watch a lot of TV. But that, for some reason …
"The first half-hour.
"No joke. That's it.
"My wife, I'm sure, can recite that whole first half-hour word for word."
After spending quite a spell of time as blueline compatriots last season, Stone and former defence partner T.J. Brodie pretty well know each other word-for-word, too.
So when Travis Hamonic hobbled off feeling a groin tweak early on in Wednesday's 2-1 win against the St. Louis Blues, Stone - a plug-'n-play kinda guy - was an obvious, and ideal, choice to hook up with his old partner on the Top 4 to finish out the game.
And logged significant minutes in the process - 21:06 to be exact.
They'll be together again Friday versus the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m., TV: Sportsnet West, Radio: Sportsnet960 The FAN) as Hamonic will sit out for precautionary purposes.
"You get in more of a rhythm,'' Stone says of the additional workload. "It's been a bit of a change for me this year with my minutes. So to get a game like that …
"I enjoy it. I get a little more of a feel of the game, more into it.
"You never want to see a teammate (hurt), it's never an ideal situation, but we've got enough guys back there to carry the load. When it happens so early, you've got to maybe pick your battles on certain shifts and whatnot, make simple plays, change quick and just manage the time.
"I think we did a good job of that last night."
Coach Glen Gulutzan felt the handy-dandy D-man stepped in to the void admirably.
"We're pretty comfortable with Stoney there,'' he said following Thursday's practice at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "If you look at our last 20 games last year, him and Brodes as partners had good chemistry. So when we lost Hammer, to move him up there I thought he did a real good job.
"Like I said, all those D, they'd rather play with five anyway. I thought they all got in the game. We limited a good team to under 10 chances last night and I thought our D were a big reason."
This year, Stone has been collaborating mostly with Brett Kulak on the third pairing. Kulak and Brodie, of course, are completely different players stylistically.
But adapting is nothing unusual for Stone.
"They're just … different. Both guys skate real well, Brodes and Ku. Brodes is trying to create offence and it's not as if we're not, but he's just got that talent some guys don't have.
"It's awesome for me.
"I can play wherever you need me. That's how I felt I had to approach the season. Whoever I play with, I try to do the same job, no matter what.
"Playing with Ku, he's a younger player so you try and have that little bit of an influence on him, the same way when I came in, I played . My first year (in Phoenix) we had Adrian Aucoin, Michael Rozival. We had some older players.
"You watch those guys. I'm still only 27 but I try to help (younger) guys along with little details, here and there."
One more game remains prior to a welcome four-day Christmas break. Recently, the Flames have handled a traditionally tricky fixture in style, not having lost a final-game-before-Christmas date in regulation since 2007.
"I guess maybe (Christmas) is in the back of your mind but you do whatever you can to try and not think about that stuff,'' reasons Stone.
"The holidays are a time for family so you have to embrace that, as well. But we have one more game, a job to do, and that's the focus in the room.
"After tomorrow, we can we can do all those Christmas-y things."
Presents. Tree. Carols. Warmth. Thankfulness. Joy.
Along with, it goes without saying, another in-house screening of Elf.
The first half-hour, anyway.