In the'60's, the NHL was almost entirely made up of Canadian born players. There were a few US natives, but players from other countries were unheard of. Stan Mikita, born the country formerly known as Czechoslovakia, started to change that. While he was sometimes overshadowed by teammates like Bobby Hull, most hockey experts consider Mikita the best NHL center of the'60's. He was born in what is now Slovakia, and sent to live in Canada as a young boy. Like most boys his age, he began playing the national sport of hockey.
He was a star in the juniors as a teenager, playing with the St. Catherine Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association. By'60, he was a full time player for the NHL Chicago Blackhawks and would lead the team in playoff scoring during their Stanley Cup winning year of'61.
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. 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,'65,'67,'68), the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player twice (1967 and'68) and the Lady Byng Trophy in'67 and'68. 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'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. - 42534
He was a star in the juniors as a teenager, playing with the St. Catherine Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association. By'60, he was a full time player for the NHL Chicago Blackhawks and would lead the team in playoff scoring during their Stanley Cup winning year of'61.
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. 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,'65,'67,'68), the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player twice (1967 and'68) and the Lady Byng Trophy in'67 and'68. 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'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. - 42534
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
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