Near West Side in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Stanislav "Stan" Mikita
Chicago Blackhawks, 1958–1980
— 21 —
Photographed By Sean Flynn, April 1, 2024
1. Stanislav "Stan" Mikita statue
First player in NHL history to win Hart, Art Ross and Lady Byng trophies in same year (1967, '68)
Franchise record 22 seasons (1958-80) and 1,394 career regular-season games played
Retired with more games played than any European-born player in NHL history
Franchise record 926 career regular-season assists
Franchise record 1,467 career regular-season points
Ranks second in franchise history with 541 career regular-season goals
Franchse records in postseason games played (155), goals (150) and assists (91)
Led Blackhawks in scoring en route to 1961 Stanley Cup championship
Two-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL most valuable player (1967, '68)
Four-time Art Ross Trophy winner as NHL's leading scorer (1964, '65, '67, '68)
Two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner as NHL's most gentlemanly player (1967, '68)
Nine-time NHL All-Star (1964, '67-69, '71-75)
Jersey #21 retired by Blackhawks (1980)
Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame (1983).
[West-facing panel:]
“Keep your feet grounded and always remember where you came from."
Stan Mikita
Erected 2011 by Chicago Blackhawks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list:
this page online
Location. 41° 52.875′ N, 87° 40.398′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in the Near West Side. Marker is on West Madison Street, 0.2 miles east of Damen Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The statue is in front of the United Center, near the North Atrium entrance next to the building's northeast corner. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1901 West Madison Street, Chicago IL 60612, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull (here, next to this marker); Carter H. Harrison (approx. 0.4 miles away); Jackson Boulevard (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Jackson Boulevard (approx. half a mile away); Jackson Boulevard District (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Jackson Boulevard (approx. half a mile away); West Side Grounds (approx. 0.8 miles away); Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
More about this marker. The west-facing panel of the statue's pedestal includes Mikita's career statistics.
The statues to Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull were unveiled in front of the United Center on October 22, 2011,
Photographed By Sean Flynn, April 1, 2024
2. Stanislav "Stan" Mikita statue (north-facing side)
Artists Julie Rotblatt-Amrany and Omri Amrany are also responsible for many of Chicago's best-known sports statues, in particular the United Center's Michael Jordan statue, which is currently located inside the United Center's atrium, not far from the Mikita and Hull statues.
Regarding Stanislav "Stan" Mikita. Stan Mikita was born in the Slovak Republic in 1940 and moved to Canada when he was 8 years old to live with his aunt and uncle. A junior hockey star in his hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario, he was promoted to play for the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks in 1959. In the 1960-61 season, his second in the NHL, he led the Blackhawks in scoring during the playoffs as the team won its third Stanley Cup and its first in 23 years. Throughout the 1960s Mikita was considered perhaps the best center in hockey, and when he retired in 1980, he ranked third in NHL history in points; as of April 2024 he still ranks 17th all time. Mikita was also one of the first players to wear a helmet full-time,
Photographed By Sean Flynn, April 1, 2024
3. Stanislav "Stan" Mikita (west-facing side)
Mikita spent many years as an ambassador for the Blackhawks organization, and even made a cameo in the 1992 movie "Wayne's World" (Wayne sported a Blackhawks jersey, and the movie featured a fictional restaurant named after Mikita). Mikita died in 2018, several years after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia; a posthumous study of his brain found that he suffered from stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurogenerative disease caused by repeated concussions.
Also see . . .
1. Hockey Hall of Fame: Stan Mikita.
Excerpt: "One of the most clever and successful forwards in league history, Stan 'Stosh' Mikita won awards in numbers not seen again until Wayne Gretzky arrived in the NHL. A slick playmaker with a gifted scoring touch, Mikita had a career that spanned four decades, from the late 1950s until 1980. His longevity and consistency were nearly as impressive as his raw talent and left him near the top of a number of NHL categories when he retired after 22 seasons."(Submitted on April 1, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Stan Mikita – Sports Commission Bronze Statue. From the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt Amrany, the husband-wife duo that designed the statue. (Submitted on April 1, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed By Sean Flynn, April 1, 2024
4. Stanislav "Stan" Mikita statue
Photographed By Sean Flynn, April 1, 2024
5. Stanislav "Stan" Mikita statue
Photographed By Sean Flynn, April 1, 2024
6. Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull statues
Photographed By Sean Flynn, April 1, 2024
7. Mikita and Hull statues, and the United Center entrance
Madison Street runs west in this photo; the United Center's north entrance is a short walk from the statues.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 1, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 46 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 1, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5. submitted on April 2, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 6. submitted on April 1, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 7. submitted on April 2, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
