How Stan Mikita's family will honor the Blackhawks legend Friday
Stan Mikita hated seeing the Blackhawks suffer.
The half-filled United Center. No playoffs. No home games on TV. Sad, disgruntled fans. The mid-90s and early 2000s were a brutal time for the team and for Mikita, who had dedicated his entire hockey career (1958-80) to the Blackhawks.
So when John McDonough extended an olive branch to Mikita and Bobby Hull late in the 2007-08 season, Mikita jumped at the chance to don his No. 21 jersey and become an ambassador for the franchise he so dearly loved.
“I spent so many years proudly wearing the Indian Head sweater,” Mikita said during a moving 20-minute pregame ceremony on March 7, 2008. “But tonight I am even more proud to be welcomed back and be a part of the great moments that lie ahead for this great franchise.”
This was the dawn of a new era in Blackhawks hockey. One in which the franchise stopped turning its back on legends that helped build the NHL and the franchise into what it is today.
Fans soaked it up and were soon treated to three Stanley Cup titles in just six years. The Hawks, meanwhile, have done their best to keep their alumni as visible as possible.
One way has been with the One More Shift campaign. Over the past two seasons, eight former players - including Denis Savard, Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour and Troy Murray - have received warm welcomes as they skate onto the ice after the Hawks' starting lineup is announced.
Friday night, though, should top them all as the Hawks give Mikita his One More Shift by having three of his grandsons - 15-year-old Charlie, Billy (13) and Tommy (11) - skate onto the ice before the Hawks host St. Louis. Mikita, as most fans know, has been suffering from Lewy body dementia for more than three years and is living in a long-term care facility.
“It will be a wonderful honor for my dad and all of our family,” said Jane Mikita Gneiser, one of Stan's daughters. “Just reading the responses of the fans on NHL.com, it's going to clearly be emotional.
“The boys will represent. It's exciting, but there are six other grandkids that will either be there or be there in spirit.”
Mikita's impact on generations of hockey players cannot be overstated. He was one of the first star players to wear a helmet. He basically invented the curved stick thanks to a freak accident at practice. And he founded the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association in 1973.
Then of course, there are the numbers - 1,394 games played, 541 goals, 926 assists and 1,467 points. And all with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“As a young hockey player, I think it's the first thing you think about is the numbers and where he ranks among the greats that have played the game,” said Jonathan Toews. “But then the more time you spend in a city like Chicago, you get to know fans that will come up to you and tell you stories about the days he played and growing up watching him.
“You also start to hear those stories about who he was away from the rink and realize it's so much more than that (the numbers). Obviously we all feel the honor to wear that Blackhawk sweater every night, but you realize how big of shoes you have to fill when you have to follow people like him.”
Jill Mikita, Stan's wife, broke the news to Charlie, Billy and Tommy that they would be representing their grandfather.
“I was mind-blown,” said Charlie.
All three boys play - or have played - hockey in the past and have been on the United Center ice before. Just not in front of 20,000 people.
“The thing that will get in our heads,” said Billy, “is just thinking, 'Just don't fall. Don't fall.'”
Their plan is to spread out - two down the wings and one down the middle - while Stan's image is displayed on the ice and the UC scoreboard. Then they'll stand on the blue line, proudly wearing their No. 21 sweaters, as the national anthem begins.
“My grandpa - every single game - he used to put his hand over his heart,” Charlie said. “So we're going to honor him by doing that.”
The ultimate tribute during the ultimate One More Shift.
Shouldn't be a dry eye in the house.
Twitter: @johndietzdh