Hockey fans are mourning the loss of former Chicago Blackhawks player Stan Mikita.
The Hockey Hall of Famer died on Tuesday at the age of 78.
Mikita was the leading scorer in the history of the Blackhawks — a team he played with for his entire 22-year NHL career — and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017.
He is also the only player in league history to win the Art Ross, Hart and Lady Byng trophies in the same season, and he did it two years in a row in the late 60s.
“I, alongside all who played with [Stan], knew him not only as a great player, but as an even better friend, teammate, husband, father and grandfather.” —Blackhawks Ambassador Bobby Hull #ForeverABlackhawk pic.twitter.com/cGMnewYwMe
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 8, 2018
Bobby Hull played with Mikita and says he was only a great player, but an even better friend, teammate, husband, father and grandfather.
The Blackhawks unveiled statues of Mikita and Hull outside United Center in 2011, and Hull says he’s honoured to play a part in keeping Mikita’s legacy alive.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says Mikita was respected and revered by many and was a pioneer of hockey in many ways.
Mikita was diagnosed with suspected Lewy body dementia in 2015 — a brain disorder that can strip its victims of memory and cause hallucinations and sleep disorders.
Playing for the Blackhawks means the world to young players because we get to follow the greats like Stan Mikita. What he brought to the game will never be forgotten.
— Jonathan Toews (@JonathanToews) August 7, 2018
My condolences to the Mikita family. Stan was first class on and off the ice. The game will miss him and so will I. RIP. https://t.co/rAASL3FAVY
— Patrick Kane (@88PKane) August 7, 2018
(Photo courtesy of NHL.com)
