Stan Mikita
| Stan Mikita | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1983 | |||
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| Born |
May 20, 1940 Sokolče, Slovak Republic |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 169 lb (77 kg; 12 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Chicago Black Hawks | ||
| National team |
 Canada
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| Playing career | 1958–1980 | ||
Stanislav "Stan" Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth; May 20, 1940), is a Slovak-born Canadian retired professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s.
Mikita was born in Sokolče, Slovak Republic as Stanislav Gvoth and raised in a small farming community there until late 1948, but moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, as a young boy to escape Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia. He was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Anna and Joe Mikita, who gave him their surname.
After three starring junior seasons with the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association, Mikita was promoted to the parent Chicago Black Hawks in 1959–60. In his second full year, in 1961, the Hawks won their third Stanley Cup. The young centre led the entire league in goals during the playoffs, scoring a total of six.
The following season was his breakout year. Stan Mikita became a star as centre of the famed "Scooter Line", with right wing Ken Wharram and left wingers Ab McDonald and Doug Mohns. He became the most-feared centre of the 1960s. With superstar teammate Bobby Hull, the Black Hawks had the most powerful offense of the decade, generally leading the league in goals scored. Combining skilled defense and a reputation as one of the game's best faceoff men using his innovative curved stick, Mikita led the league in scoring four times in the decade, tying Bobby Hull's year-old single-season scoring mark in 1966–67 with 97 points (a mark broken two years later by former teammate Phil Esposito and currently held by Wayne Gretzky). The 1967–68 season, an 87-point effort from Mikita, was the last year a Chicago player won the scoring title until Patrick Kane's 106-point 2015–16 season. Kane's Art Ross season also saw him become the first Hawk to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as Most Valuable Player since Mikita in his last Art Ross season.
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