Stan Mikita passes away at age 78

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[nuckin_futz]

R.I.P. to a true legend.

 

541 goals, 926 assists, 1467 points. 1394 games.

4 Art Ross, 2 Hart, 2 Lady Byng.

 

5'9" 169 lbs

 

 

[PhillipBlunt]

Rest in peace, Stan.

[Ghostsof1915]

RIP Mr. Mikita. the guy who help invent the curved stick. And scared the bejeezus out of goalies ever since.

 

[Harvey Specter]

Rest in peace, Stan. An inspirational player who demonstrated class and sportsmanship. Thoughts and prayers to your loved ones. 

[Rick Blight]

In his early days he was one of the dirtiest players in the NHL as he established his place in the league......you would not, in your wildest imagination, ever predict that he would go on to win 2 Lady Byng trophies. 

He was one of the best players of his era and certainly deserved his place in the HHOF.

May you rest in peace Mr. Mikita.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Rick Blight

[chon derry]

like the oilers in the 80s, the hawks in the 60s and early 70s you may not  have liked but man you just had to admire them , mikita with his second choice of helmets (northland)  was glad to see him get rid of of the old CCM he had. one of the first players to wear a helmet full time after getting an ear tore off and sewed back on . ONE OF THE GREATEST ONES! ………..

Edited August 7, 2018 by chon derry

[HKSR]

This is one Blackhawk that I could never disrespect... RIP Mr. Mikita.

[johngould21]

45 minutes ago, Harvey Specter said:

Rest in peace, Stan. An inspirational player who demonstrated class and sportsmanship. Thoughts and prayers to your loved ones. 

In the early part of his career, he was anything but a Lady Byng candidate. Check out his early PIM's. One of the best Hawks to ever play the game, and was tough as nails, despite his size.

[johngould21]

44 minutes ago, Rick Blight said:

In his early days he was one of the dirtiest players in the NHL as he established his place in the league......you would not, in your wildest imagination, ever predict that he would go on to win 2 Lady Byng trophies. 

He was one of the best players of his era and certainly deserved his place in the HHOF.

May you rest in peace Mr. Mikita.

He had to because of his size, I think. However, I do recall him saying, you can't produce in the penalty box.

[skategal]

46 minutes ago, Rick Blight said:

In his early days he was one of the dirtiest players in the NHL as he established his place in the league......you would not, in your wildest imagination, ever predict that he would go on to win 2 Lady Byng trophies. 

He was one of the best players of his era and certainly deserved his place in the HHOF.

May you rest in peace Mr. Mikita.

In this article it attributes his change in playing style to a question his daughter asked about why he spent so much time sitting down.  Bet there are a lot of parents who have changed their behaviour because of the influence of a child.  

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/blackhawks/blackhawks-all-time-leading-scorer-stan-mikita-dies-78

[skolozsy2]

Just heard.....such a shame.  True Blackhawks legend.

 

So glad Rocky Wirtz brought Stosh back to the organization so today's generation could give thanks to a man who brought pride to wearing that Blackhawks sweater.

 

Rest in Peace, Stan.  Congrats on a great career, and a great life!

[Alflives]

Loved Mikita.  Wasn’t he the first Czech born superstar?

[Squamfan]

33 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Loved Mikita.  Wasn’t he the first Czech born superstar?

hes Canadian ?

[Alflives]

3 minutes ago, Squamfan said:

hes Canadian ?

I think he emigrated when very young?  

[chon derry]

49 minutes ago, Alflives said:

I think he emigrated when very young?  

Died	August 7, 2018 (aged 78) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	169 lb (77 kg; 12 st 1 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Right
Played for	Chicago Blackhawks
National team	Canada
Playing career	1958–1980

Stanislav Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth; May 20, 1940 – August 7, 2018), was a Slovak-born Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s.^[1][2] In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.^[3]

Contents

• 1 Biography
  • 1.1 Early life
  • 1.2 Playing career
    • 1.2.1 Use of curved stick
  • 1.3 Retirement
• 2 Career statistics
• 3 Awards and accomplishments
• 4 See also
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Mikita was born in Sokolče, Slovak Republic as Stanislav Guoth and raised in a small farming community there until late 1948,^[4] but moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, as a young boy to escape Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia. He was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Anna and Joe Mikita, who gave him their surname.^[5][4]

Playing career[edit]

After three starring junior seasons with the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association, Mikita was promoted to the parent Chicago Blackhawks in 1959–60. In his second full year, in 1961, the Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup. The young centre led the entire league in goals during the playoffs, scoring a total of six.^[6]

The following season was his breakout year. Stan Mikita became a star as centre of the famed "Scooter Line", with right wing Ken Wharram and left wingers Ab McDonald and Doug Mohns.^[5] Combining skilled defense and a reputation as one of the game's best faceoff men using his innovative curved stick, Mikita led the league in scoring four times in the decade, tying Bobby Hull's year-old single-season scoring mark in 1966–67 with 97 points^[7] (a mark broken two years later by former teammate Phil Esposito^[8] and currently held by Wayne Gretzky).^[9] The 1967–68 season, an 87-point effort from Mikita, was the last year a Chicago player won the scoring title until Patrick Kane's 106-point 2015–16 season.^[10]

In his early years, Mikita was among the most penalized players in the league, but he then decided to play a cleaner game and went on to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for particularly sportsmanlike conduct combined with excellence twice. Mikita's drastic change in behavior came after he returned home from a road trip. His wife told him that while their daughter, Meg, was watching the Blackhawks' last road game on television, she turned and said, "Mommy, why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?"^[4] The camera had just shown Mikita in the penalty box again (from Mikita's autobiography I Play to Win).^{[citation needed]}

During his playing career, in 1973, Mikita teamed up with Chicago businessman Irv Tiahnybik to form the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association (AHIHA), to bring together deaf and hard-of-hearing hockey players from all over the country, and he founded the Stan Mikita School for the Hearing Impaired, inspired by a friend’s deaf son who was an aspiring goalie. He also helped bring the Special Olympics to Chicago, bringing his family out to volunteer at races.^[4]

[sonoman]

RIP Stan.  You were always entertaining to watch on the little 12”? Black and white TV in the rumpus room growing up in the 60’s

 

[johngould21]

38 minutes ago, sonoman said:

RIP Stan.  You were always entertaining to watch on the little 12”? Black and white TV in the rumpus room growing up in the 60’s

 

With rabbit ears no doubt?

 

[BowtieCanuck]

4 hours ago, Rick Blight said:

In his early days he was one of the dirtiest players in the NHL as he established his place in the league......you would not, in your wildest imagination, ever predict that he would go on to win 2 Lady Byng trophies. 

He was one of the best players of his era and certainly deserved his place in the HHOF.

May you rest in peace Mr. Mikita.

I think the impact of Bill Masterson's death (even though he had nothing to do with it) made an impact on his game style. Once Stan Mikita started wearing a helmet, other players began to follow suit. Doesn't hurt that he and Bobby Hull started the curved blade trend too. Mikita's impact on the game was and is much more significant than a lot of people know.

[canuck73_3]

RIP legend