Player Biography: Stan Mikita

[ScottM]

 

                Before the fall of the iron curtain there were many great hockey talents that generally escaped the view of the western world. In fact, European stars in general usually played their professional hockey in Europe. Once in a while, however, North America would have the privilege of seeing one of those European born talents. One such exception was Stan Mikita.

 

                Stanislav Guoth was adopted by his aunt and uncle who adopted him and gave him their surname of Mikita. When Stan was eight years old, his adoptive family emigrated from then-Czechoslavakia to escape the communist regime. Mikita received his first exposure to hockey after seeing local kids playing in his new hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario. He was unable to speak English or skate, but his interest in the game led to him becoming known as a local talent.

 

                The local Ontario Hockey Association junior team, the St. Catharines Teepees, was an affiliate of the Black Hawks, and the team took notice of the young Mikita, signing him to the squad in 1956. Mikita would play three seasons with the Teepees. At the end of the third season, he was given a three game tryout with the Blackhawks. He would spend the remainder of his hockey playing career – 21 years – with Chicago.

 

                In his first full season in the NHL, the 1959-60 season, Mikita would post 26 points in 67 games. He would more than double that output the next season, posting 53 points in 66 points. Mikita and teammate Bobby Hull were one of the most dynamic scoring duos in the NHL during the 60’s, and thanks to their exploits, the Blackhawks were often the highest scoring team in the league during that time span. Led by Mikita and Hull, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1961, ending a 23-year championship drought.

 

                In 1964, Mikita would win the Art Ross Trophy for the first time, posting 87 points on the season. That season would be the first of four Art Ross Trophies Mikita would win, also bagging the award in 1965, 1967, and 1968. In addition to the Art Ross, Stan would also win the Hart Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy in 1967 and 1968, making him the only player to win all three of those awards in the same season.

 

                Today, Mikita is primarily known for the type of play that won him those two Lady Byng Trophies, but the display of sportsmanship required to win the award stands in stark contrast to his style of play in his first few years in the NHL. When he entered the league, Mikita was among the league leaders in penalty minutes year in and year out. In four of his first six seasons, he reached triple digits in penalty minutes, and had 97 in a fifth season.

 

                The story of what turned around his style of play is somewhat comical. After he returned home following a road trip, Mikita’s wife told him about something his daughter said while watching him play on television. After the camera showed Mikita during one of his many trips to the penalty box, his daughter Meg asked he mother, “Why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?” The impact that the incident had on Stan is obvious from a look at his stats. After posting 154 penalty minutes in 1964-65, he posted 56 in 1965-66, and 12 in 1966-67. He would never again reach 100 penalty minutes in a season.

 

                While Mikita was one of the premier scorers of his day (he is still ranked 14^th all time in points, 17^th in assists, and 30^th in goals), his stats aren’t the biggest impact that he had on the game. Mikita and Bobby Hull were instrumental in introducing curved stick blades to the game. Mikita and Hull used sticks with such large curves that many felt it gave them an unfair advantage against goaltenders. In response to this, the NHL would introduce a rule limiting the curvature of the blade to ½ inch in 1970.

 

                One of the highlights of Mikita's career was in 1972, following the Summit Series. After leaving Moscow, Team Canada made a stopover in Prague to play an exhibition game against the Czechoslovakian National Team. This would be the first time that Mikita had the opportunity to play in front of his parents and siblings. Adding to the emotions of the experience, Mikita was hailed as a hero by the public in the streets of his native country.

 

                Mikita was forced to retire in 1980 as a result of nagging back injuries. At the time of his retirement, only Gordie Howe and Phil Esposito had posted more career points. Following his retirement, the Black Hawks retired his jersey, making him the first player to have his jersey retired by the club. Mikita was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

 

                When Mikita’s aunt and uncle moved to Canada, they hoped to find a better life for their family. Little did they know the life and success that their young nephew would find on the ice rinks of their adopted home. That decision changed more than the outlook for one family; it changed the history of a sport.

 

Further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Mikita

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p198303&type=Player&page=bio&list=

http://blackhawkslegends.blogspot.com/2007/04/stan-mikita.html

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mikitst01.html

[hf101]

Enjoyed the read Scott.  

 

I didn't know both Mikta and Hull were responsible for the curved stick rule.  Players don't seem to get checked for that too often anymore.  Now the big advantage / disadvantage seems to be the length of the stick used among various players around the league.

[ScottM]

Enjoyed the read Scott.  

 

I didn't know both Mikta and Hull were responsible for the curved stick rule.  Players don't seem to get checked for that too often anymore.  Now the big advantage / disadvantage seems to be the length of the stick used among various players around the league.

 

Kovalchuk is the last one I remember getting busted for it. That's been a few years ago.