Sports Then and Now

As the 2021 hockey season heats up, we recognize as the Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month one of the all-time greats in Chicago Black Hawks history.

Spending his entire 22-year career with the Chicago Black Hawks, Stan Mikita was one of the best centers of his generation.

Mikita joined the Black Hawks for the 1959-60 season and by the following season was a key player on a squad destined to win the Stanley Cup. He scored a team-high six goals during the playoffs as Chicago won their most recent cup championship.

He became a star as center of the famed “Scooter Line“, (with right wing Ken Wharram and left wingers Ab McDonald and Doug Mohns).

Mikita also teamed with legend Bobby Hull to provide the Black Hawks with an electrifying offense that was annually among the NHL leaders in goals scored.

He topped the NHL in assists three times and total points on four occasions.

In 1967 Mikita led the league with 62 assists and 97 total points and the following season he topped the league with 87 points. He was honored as the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy, which goes to the league MVP, in both 1967 and 1968.

Playing with the Black Hawks into the 1979-80 season, Mikita finished his career with 541 goals and 926 assists. His 1,467 career points are the 13th highest total in NHL history.

Mikita was among the most penalized players in the league early in his career before changing his ways and went on to twice win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship.

He was inducted into the Pro Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. Mikita passed away in 2018 at the age of 78.

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