Forever a Blackhawk: Stan Mikita’s legacy in Chicago

The family of Hall of Fame NHL player and beloved Chicago Blackhawk Stan Mikita announced Tuesday that he has passed away at the age of 78.

It’s rare you’ll find an NHL player who laces up his skates for only one team through the duration of his career — and rarer still that, four decades after he hangs them up, he’ll still own a handful of franchise records.

But Stan Mikita is not like most NHL players.

The Chicago Blackhawks community is one of many that will be mourning the loss of Mikita Tuesday, after his family announced that, surrounded by their love, he passed away at the age of 78.

To this day, Mikita remains the franchise’s all-time leader in points (1,467) and games played (1,394). He’s also No. 2 in goals scored, with 541 — just behind Bobby Hull (604).

Of course, Mikita’s legacy in Chicago, after a 22-year playing career, is about so much more than numbers and records.

His stellar play at center led the team to its 1961 Stanley Cup championship, in only his second full year. In those playoffs, he topped every player in the league in goals, with six.

Setting a gold standard on and off the ice, Mikita earned the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in 1967 and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as its most sportsmanlike in 1968, proving that you could be a prolific scorer and a damn nice guy at the same time.

Blackhawks president and CEO John McDonough issued a statement on Mikita’s passing on behalf of the team Tuesday:

"Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game. He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks. His excellence is illustrated by the team records he still holds today. His passion for the game was proved by the longevity of his playing career. The impact he had on the franchise is proved by fact that Blackhawks fans still wear his jersey to the United Center. On behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks organization and our fans, we express our deepest condolences to the Mikita family and all who mourn Stan’s passing."

I was in attendance at the Blackhawks’ final regular season game of the 2017-18 season, in which they hosted the St. Louis Blues. As part of the team’s “One More Shift” campaign, Mikita’s grandsons, Billy, Charlie and Tommy, took the ice for a skate with images of their grandfather projected onto it. They wore Mikita’s No. 21 sweater.

The event was somewhat somber, as, even in April, the public was aware of how precarious Mikita’s health had become. He suffered from suspected dementia.

Billy, Charlie and Tommy never got to see their grandfather take the ice, but on that night, they could feel from the crowd — which alternately cheered its support or stood, silently, shedding more than a few tears — how much Mikita meant to this city and this fanbase.

Even after his passing, that legacy lives on through his family, his former teammates and the fanbase. Mikita’s statute will continue to stand outside the United Center, reminding everyone who visits of a player who excelled as much off the ice as he did on it. His is an example that all NHL players should keep front of mind as they progress through their careers.