Stone gets a new roommate
Mark Stone is right at home with the Ottawa Senators’ youth movement.
The Senators’ alternate captain and his girlfriend, Hayley Thompson, have invited 19-year-old winger Brady Tkachuk, the No. 4 selection in the NHL draft in June, to live with them at their Ottawa home this season.
The 26-year-old Stone knows how difficult it can be for a young player on his own in the NHL, and he didn’t want Tkachuk to live in a hotel, so the teen moved in just before the team’s exhibition game against the Chicago Blackhawks last week.
“I stayed in a hotel for two months and it sucked,” Stone said following the club’s skate on Friday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
“You’re always eating out and you don’t have somewhere to just kick up your feet. You’re always laying in a bed.
“It’s great that he’s able to get out of the hotel. My girlfriend loves him. He’s very young and immature, so it’s nice to have those personalities around.”
Tkachuk’s uncle is Craig Oster of Newports Sports in Toronto. He suggested to Stone that perhaps taking his nephew in would be a good idea.
“It’s fun. It really is,” Stone said with a laugh.
“I haven’t played a video game in four years and now I’m addicted to video games again. It’s bringing me back to when I was playing in the minors. For him, he’s excited, and he hasn’t had a bad day yet in the NHL, so it’s nice to have guys who are excited to come to the rink.”
Keith and Chantal Tkachuk, Brady’s parents, had dinner at Stone’s home on Wednesday. The family appreciates how their son has been welcomed with open arms.
“Some of these veteran players on Ottawa have been amazing to Brady,” Chantal said.
“They’ve taken him under their wing and been there to talk to him and help him.”