Stan Mikita - by Moses

  Stan Mikita has passed on this August 7th, 2018 at the age of 78, after suffering from dementia over his last few years with us.  He was a true legend of the game playing all his 21 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks.  Mikita was co-leader of the Hawks alongside Bobby Hull (though they played on different lines) and won the coveted Stanley Cup in 1961.

  Stan Mikita was the first player born in Czechoslovakia to play in the NHL when his career began in 1959.  He was playing on 'The Scooter Line' with Ted Lindsey and Kenny Wharram.  After Lindsey retired Ab McDonald replaced him on the Left Wing and was finally replaced by Doug Mohns, when the line was renamed 'The Production Line'.  

  Mikita won two Hart Trophies, four Art Ross Trophies, two Lady Byng Awards, and was named 1st Team All-Star six times.  He had an incredible 150 Playoff points in 155 Games played, and had 1467 regular season points in 1396 Games.  He was a +329 over the duration of his career.  Of his 1467 Points he had 541 Goals and 926 Assists.

  What made Mikita so revered by Hockey fans wasn't just his tenacity of the game (attest to his high penalty minutes in his early years - before toning it down to win 2 Lady Byng Awards), but the fact that he was a true team player.  His 'Hawks were dependent on him producing to make the playoffs (which they did most years in which he played), and he could just have easily won another two Stanley Cups (Stanley Cup Finals that Chicago lost), alongside Mikita's' only sip of the Cup win of 1961.  Mikita was only one of a handful of men to have played in four decades 1959-1980.

R.I.P for a truly great Hockey Man