RIP Stan Mikita

[fan_since79]

All-time hockey great. He played all 22 years of his career for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Mikita died today at the age of 78 after a long illness.

 

[Lou]

[Tank]

When I was in jr. high I read part of his book "Inside Hockey." One of the things he said was you could improve your stick handling skills by practicing with your stick and a raw egg on the kitchen floor. It was some of the most practical advice I got as a kid. I think I only cracked one egg, but didn't make a mess or upset my mom.

thanks, Stan.

[fan_since79]

Throughout his career, Mikita was known to be an offensive machine. But in his early years, he was also one of the most penalized players in the league, racking up 689 total penalty minutes in his first seven seasons.

It wasn't until the final road game of the 1964-65 campaign when Mikita changed up his style after his 14-month old daughter Meg was watching on TV and asked: "Mommy, why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?", referring to Mikita sitting in the penalty box away from his teammates.

Mikita's penalty minutes dropped from 154 to 58 the following season, and then to a mere 12 and 14, respectively, in 1966-67 and 1967-68. Because of that, he went on to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy — the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability — in back-to-back years and remains the only player in NHL history to capture the Hart (MVP), Art Ross (highest scorer) and Lady Byng in the same season, having done so twice.

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/blackhawks/blackhawks-all-time-leading-scorer-stan-mikita-dies-78