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Stan Mikita
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1983
Stan Mikita Chex card.jpg
Mikita with the Chicago Black Hawks, 1960s
Born (1940-05-20)May 20, 1940
Sokolče, Slovak Republic
Died August 7, 2018(2018-08-07) (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 Black Hawks
National team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Playing career 1958–1980

Stanley Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth; May 20, 1940 – August 7, 2018) was an amazing Canadian ice hockey player. He was born in Slovakia and played for the Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). Many people think he was the best center in the 1960s. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. In 1961, he became the first player from Slovakia to win the famous Stanley Cup.

Growing Up

Mikita was born as Stanislav Guoth in a small town called Sokolče in Slovakia. This was during a time when Slovakia was a special state connected to Nazi Germany. He grew up on a farm until 1948. That year, he moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, in Canada.

His aunt and uncle, Anna and Joe Mikita, adopted him. They had moved from Slovakia to Canada many years before and didn't have children of their own. Stan's parents believed he would have a better future in Canada. His aunt and uncle gave him their last name, Mikita, and he changed his first name to Stanley. Stan always felt proud of his Slovak background.

His Hockey Career

Stan Mikita played three great seasons with the St. Catharines Teepees in a junior league. Then, in 1959, he joined the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1961, his second full year, the Black Hawks won the Stanley Cup. Stan was a key player, leading the whole league in goals during those playoffs.

The next year, he became a real star. He played center on a famous line called the "Scooter Line." He was known for his amazing defense and for being one of the best at winning faceoffs. He also used a special curved stick, which was new at the time. Stan led the league in scoring four times in the 1960s. In 1966, he scored 97 points, which was a record at the time.

At first, Stan got a lot of penalties. But then he decided to play a "cleaner" game. This change happened after his daughter, Meg, saw him in the penalty box on TV. She asked her mom, "Mommy, why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?" After that, Stan won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy twice. This award is for players who show great sportsmanship and skill.

While playing, Stan also helped others. In 1973, he helped start the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association (AHIHA). This group helps deaf and hard-of-hearing hockey players. He also started the Stan Mikita School for the Hearing Impaired. He even helped bring the Special Olympics to Chicago.

Stan also played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. He also played some exhibition games for Czechoslovakia in 1967 when he visited his family.

Curved Stick and Helmet

Stan Mikita and his teammate Bobby Hull were famous for using sticks with curved blades. This made it easier to shoot the puck. The NHL later limited how much a stick blade could curve. Stan reportedly started using a curved stick by accident when his stick got bent. He then began bending his sticks on purpose!

Stan was also one of the first players to always wear a helmet. He started doing this after a puck hit his ear during a game in 1967.

After Hockey

Stan Mikita retired from playing hockey on April 14, 1980, because of back injuries. At that time, only a few players had scored more points or played more games than him. In 1983, he was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

After retiring, Stan became a golf pro. He also had other businesses, including making plastic sauce containers for McDonald's. He even owned a restaurant called Stan Mikita's Village Inn.

Stan also wrote the foreword for a children's book called My Man Stan. He became a special ambassador for the Blackhawks team. In 2011, the Blackhawks put up a statue honoring Stan Mikita at their arena, the United Center.

As of 2022, Stan Mikita is still one of the top players in NHL history for points scored. He is also one of only a few players who played their entire career for just one team.

Stan Mikita even appeared as himself in the 1992 movie Wayne's World. The movie featured a fictional "Stan Mikita" doughnut shop, which was a joke about the Canadian chain Tim Hortons. A real restaurant named "Stan Mikita's" later opened at the Kings Dominion amusement park.

Later Years and Passing

In 2011, Stan Mikita was diagnosed with oral cancer. Later, in 2015, his wife shared that he was having memory problems. She said he was being cared for by loving caregivers. By June 2015, Stan had lost his memory of his past life.

Stan Mikita passed away on August 7, 2018, at the age of 78. He was survived by his wife, four children, and nine grandchildren. After his death, doctors studied his brain. They found that he had a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This made him the first Hockey Hall of Famer to be diagnosed with this condition.

Career Statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1956–57 St. Catharines Teepees OHA 52 16 31 47 129 14 8 9 17 44
1957–58 St. Catharines Teepees OHA 52 31 47 78 146 8 4 5 9 46
1958–59 St. Catharines Teepees OHA 45 38 59 97 197 — — — — —
1958–59 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 3 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
1959–60 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 67 8 18 26 119 3 0 1 1 2
1960–61* Chicago Black Hawks NHL 66 19 34 53 100 12 6 5 11 21
1961–62 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 25 52 77 97 12 6 15 21 19
1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 31 45 76 69 6 3 2 5 2
1963–64 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 39 50 89 146 7 3 6 9 8
1964–65 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 28 59 87 154 14 3 7 10 53
1965–66 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 68 30 48 78 58 6 1 2 3 2
1966–67 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 35 62 97 12 6 2 2 4 2
1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 72 40 47 87 14 11 5 7 12 6
1968–69 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 74 30 67 97 52 — — — — —
1969–70 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 76 39 47 86 50 8 4 6 10 2
1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 74 24 48 72 85 18 5 13 18 16
1971–72 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 74 26 39 65 46 8 3 1 4 4
1972–73 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 57 27 56 83 32 15 7 13 20 8
1973–74 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 76 30 50 80 46 11 5 6 11 8
1974–75 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 79 36 50 86 48 8 3 4 7 12
1975–76 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 16 41 57 37 4 0 0 0 4
1976–77 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 57 19 30 49 20 2 0 1 1 0
1977–78 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 76 18 41 59 35 4 3 0 3 0
1978–79 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 19 36 55 34 — — — — —
1979–80 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 17 2 5 7 12 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,394 541 926 1,467 1,270 155 59 91 150 169

Statistics via HockeyDB

Awards and Achievements

Stan Mikita received many awards and honors during and after his career:

  • He is ranked very high in NHL history for points, assists, goals, and games played.
  • He won the Hart Memorial Trophy (for the most valuable player) in 1967 and 1968.
  • He won the Art Ross Trophy (for the leading scorer) in 1964, 1965, 1967, and 1968.
  • He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (for sportsmanship and skill) in 1967 and 1968.
  • He was a Stanley Cup champion in 1961.
  • He was named to the NHL's First All-Star Team six times and Second All-Star Team twice.
  • He played in the National Hockey League All-Star Game nine times.
  • He won the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1976 for his contributions to hockey in the United States.
  • Stan Mikita is the only player in NHL history to win the Hart, Art Ross, and Lady Byng trophies in the same season, and he did it two years in a row!
  • His jersey number 21 was retired by the Blackhawks in 1980, meaning no other player on the team can wear it.
  • He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
  • He was inducted into the Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.
  • An ice rink in Slovakia is named after him.
  • In 2011, statues of Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull were placed outside the United Center in Chicago.
  • He was the first player from Slovakia to win the Stanley Cup.

Images for kids

  • Stan Mikita

    Mikita in 2009

See Also

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