Stan Mikita: Pro Hockey’s Unsung Hero

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’60′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’59, 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’61, 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.

Early in his career, Mikita played a tough, rugged style of hockey that made him one of the most penalized players in the game. In the mid’60s, however, he began to play a much cleaner and more sportsmanlike style that would earn him the Lady Byng Trophy for most gentlemanly player twice. According to legend, his young daughter prompted the change of play with her frequent questions about why her daddy spent so much time sitting in the box on televised games.

In addition to his Stanley Cup victory, Mikitas career accomplishments are among the most impressive in NHL history. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHLs leading scorer four times (1964,’65,’67,’68), the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player twice (1967 and’68) and the Lady Byng Trophy in’67 and’68.

Mikita suffered from chronic back ailments later in his career, and finally retired in’80 having played his entire career for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility (1983) and became enshrined in pop culture history a few years later thanks to the movie ‘Wayne’s World’. In the movie, protagonists 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.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.