Mark Stone throws out the chirp of the year after taking dirty hit from minor-leaguer

In case you missed it last night, Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone got absolutely LIT UP last night in preseason action against the Los Angeles Kings.

While retrieving a puck deep in his own zone, Stone got run hard by Kings forward Hayden Hodgson into the end boards. While it was maybe a tad late and could have been called for boarding, it wasn't exactly the worst hit I've ever seen. Sure, Stone didn't see it coming but Hodgson at least made sure to catch Stone cleanly with his shoulder.

The best part of the entire exchange though came after the game when Stone served up the best chirp of the preseason.

Check it out:

"That's probably the last time I'll ever play against him... he's not much of a player," said Stone.

The thing is... I don't think he's wrong.

The 27 year old Hodgson has played just 7 NHL games and is more or less a career minor-leaguer at the ECHL level. He's played parts of two seasons in the AHL, but the majority of his pro career has been spent going from team to team in the ECHL. Not to be disrespectful to any ECHLers out there, but if you have a hard time cracking the AHL then I think the NHL is a pipe dream. Stone called it as he sees it and it's tough to argue with him on this one.

Personally, I hope this sparks a bit of a divisional rivalry between the Golden Knights and the Kings because the former rivalry that the Golden Knights had with the San Jose Sharks is all but dead. I'd love nothing more than to see the Kings step up as the new bad guy in the Pacific Division to give the Golden Knights some fits. Just imagine the chirps between Stone and Drew Doughty if this rivalry really takes hold. The headlines would be absolute gold!

As it is, maybe Hodgson will get a little bump in playing time from his coaching staff for making some waves, but I wouldn't expect him to crack the Kings' full-time roster. Again... Stone ain't wrong!