August 17, 2018: Speaking of All Time Hawks

Ten days ago, the Chicago Blackhawks lost a legend.  Stan Mikita died at the age of 78.  Who was Stan Mikita?

Most of us probably only know him because he’s that guy with the statue out in front of the United Center next to Bobby Hull.  Or maybe we remember his donut shop from the movie Wayne’s World.  I was lucky enough to meet him one night, when he walked into the Italian restaurant where I was bussing.  I wasn’t lucky enough to see him play; I didn’t even realize how great he was.

He ranks 14th in the NHL ALL TIME in regular season points scored; that’s damn impressive.  What I like too, is that only 3 players in NHL history have appeared in more games with one team.  Stan Mikita was a Chicago Blackhawk through and through.  After talking with my dad and father in law, they told me about the Mikita to Hull combo that was good for so many of those goals back in the day.  They told me about the curved stick, and how not only he was a wizard handling the puck with it, but it came in handy during his many fights.  Back then there were a ton of fights, and Stan never backed down.  Not until his daughter asked him why he was playing by himself, and not out there skating with everybody else, did he start changing his game.

He was a winner too.  In his 2nd year, he was right in the middle of the Hawks 1961 Stanley Cup Winner.  The Hawks made the Finals 4 other times during Stan’s tenure.  If it wasn’t for the dominant Maple Leafs and Canadiens during that era… The last appearance was in the 1973 Finals, which was the last one until 1992, and then of course, 2010.  Of course we are living in the golden era of the Hawks, but back then, you can argue was a golden era too, and Mikita was right in the middle of it.
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The best thing I read about him was an article that was written back on October 31, 1976… about 2 months after I was born.  It was written by another legend, Bob Verdi.  It was such a good article… you don’t see stuff like this nowadays, or at least it’s pretty rare.  It was an interview that he did with Mikita, that was reran after his death.  One part in particular was really deep.

Mikita was born in Czechoslovakia.  He was the 2nd son.  After the first boy was born, his aunt and uncle in Canada told his parents, that if they ever had another boy, they wanted to take him.  So, when Stan came along, and his aunt and uncle came to visit, it was agreed that he would go back to Canada with them… for the chance at a better life than what could be offered in Czechoslovakia.  That was really something.  Stan went on to talk about his daughter… watching her sleep, and thinking if he thought she would have a better life elsewhere, would he let her go.  His answer was no… He realized that it took more love for his parents to let him go to Canada than to keep him at home…  wow.  How deep is your love?

It certainly appears his parents made the right decision… it was meant to be, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Thank you for making that decision.  That decision changed his life, and eventually put him in our life as Blackhawk fans.  I’ll never forget that story, and we’ll never forget Stan Mikita.  Blackhawk for life…RIP Stan.