Mikita, Stanley [Stanley Gvoth]
Hockey
b. May 20, 1940, Sokolce, Czechoslovakia
Although he was often overshadowed by his more flamboyant, high-scoring teammate, Bobby Hull, Mikita was a great hockey player, an excellent stick-handler and brilliant passer who won four scoring titles and outscored Hull five times during a six-year period.
In his early years in the NHL, he compensated for his lack of size with belligerent play, winning the nickname "Le Petit Diable (The Little Devil)" from Montreal fans. However, he did a complete turnaround and won the 1967 Lady Byng Trophy for combining a high level of play with gentlemanly conduct.
Mikita spent his entire 22-year NHL career with the Chicago Black Hawks, beginning in the 1958-59 season. In 1963-64, he and Hull had the first of their battles for the scoring championship. Hull scored more goals, 43 to 39, but Mikita had 50 assists to win the Ross Trophy. He led again in 1964-65 with 87 points, yet he wasn't even named a first-team all-star.
In 1966-67, Mikita became the first triple crown winner in NHL history. He set a record with 62 assists, tied Hull's record of 97 points, and won the Ross Trophy as leading scorer, the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, and the Byng Trophy. This time, he was the NHL's first-team all-star center.
Mikita won all three trophies and was a first-team all-star again in 1967/68. The following year, he again had 97 points, but Phil Esposito, Gordie Howe, and Hull all had more than 100 points, so Mikita finished fourth in scoring.
Injuries troubled Mikita throughout the rest of his career and never again hit such scoring heights. After a serious head injury, Mikita began wearing a helmet designed especially for him and he went into the helmet manufacturing business. He was also slowed by a chronic bad back, and in 1973 a broken heel sidelined him for six weeks. Nevertheless, he played through the 1979-80 season and kept scoring consistently.
In 1394 regular season games, Mikita had 541 goals and 926 assists, averaging more than a point a game. He scored 59 goals and had 91 assists in 155 playoff games.