Windy City Hockey Icon Stan Mikita
Written by Ross Everett   
Friday, 04 September 2009 22:04
Professional hockey players from the former Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia are now ubiquitous, but Stan Mikita was something of a pioneer. The Chicago Blackhawks legend was sometimes relegated to secondary status behind more telegenetic stars like teammate Bobby Hull, but you can make a very good case that Mikita was the best NHL forward of the 1960's. He was born in Sokolce, in what is now known as Slovakia. In the conflict torn years prior to WW II, he was sent to Canada and adopted by an aunt and uncle. Like most young Canadian boys, he started playing hockey and quickly exhibited significant talent at the country's national sport.
by RossEverett


Professional hockey players from the former Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia are now ubiquitous, but Stan Mikita was something of a pioneer. The Chicago Blackhawks legend was sometimes relegated to secondary status behind more telegenetic stars like teammate Bobby Hull, but you can make a very good case that Mikita was the best NHL forward of the 1960's. He was born in Sokolce, in what is now known as Slovakia. In the conflict torn years prior to WW II, he was sent to Canada and adopted by an aunt and uncle. Like most young Canadian boys, he started playing hockey and quickly exhibited significant talent at the country's national sport.

As a teenager, Mikita starred for the St. Catherine Teepees of the junior league Ontario Hockey Association. In 1959, he made the jump to the NHL for good joining the Chicago Blackhawks. He played sparingly in his first partial season in the NHL, but quickly became an important part of the Chicago offense in his first and second full seasons as a pro. In 1961, he led the team in playoff scoring as they won the Stanley Cup"his only championship during his career and the last time the franchise would win the NHLs highest team honor.

The following year was when Mikita really began to make a mark in professional hockey. Centering the dangerous Scooter Line with Ken Wharram on the right wing and Ab McDonald or Doug Mohns on the left wing, he became one of the most feared offensive scorers and playmakers in the league. While he played in the media shadow of Bobby Hull, Mikita was considered by most hockey cognoscenti to be the real offensive catalyst of the team.

Mikita wasn't a one way player by any means--he was a tenacious defender and one of the best faceoff men in the sport. He's also responsible for introducing the curved stick blade to the NHL. It was a radical innovation at the time, but now players who *don't* play with a curved blade are a rarity.

When he first came to the NHL, Mikita was a tough, hard hitting player who spent a considerable amount of time in the penalty box. That changed in the mid 1960's when he became a very sportsmanlike player almost overnight. This cleaner style of play would earn him the Lady Byng Trophy for most gentlemanly player twice. The story goes that he had a change of heart when his young daughter asked why he spent so much time sitting in the box on televised games.

In addition to his Stanley Cup victory, Mikitas career accomplishments rank among the most impressive in the history of the sport. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHLs leading scorer four times (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968), the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player twice (1967 and 1968) and the Lady Byng Trophy in 1967 and 1968. He remains the only player in NHL history to win the Ross, Hart and Byng trophies in the same season (1967).

Mikita suffered from chronic back ailments later in his career, and finally retired in 1980 having played his entire career for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, but became known to a younger generation in a more unusual way. In the movie Waynes World, Wayne and Garth frequently hang out at a donut shop based on the Canadian Tim Hortons chain. The name of the shop is Stan Mikitas Donuts.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 and an authority on thoroughbred horse racing and internet sports betting . He's a published expert on handicapping theory, as well as financial investment strategy. He contributes to a number of websites providing insight on how to bet on NFL football, MMA and boxing.