Stan Mikita robbed of Blackhawks memories, but family takes CTE stand
Stan Mikita is, without question, one of the Chicago Blackhawks’ greatest legends and one of the NHL’s most beloved Hall of Famers. He made many a memory for hockey fans during his career. Suddenly, and tragically, he’s lost them all himself.
According to a stirring article by Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune, Mikita has been diagnosed with “suspected dementia with Lewy body, a brain disorder that can strip those with it of memory, cause hallucinations, sleep disorders and often, though not in Mikita's case, Parkinson's disease.”
The 75-year-old forward, who is the Blackhawks’ all-time leader in points (1,467) and a two-time NHL MVP, is living in a Chicago area assisted living facility. From the Tribune:
"His mind is completely gone," Jill, Stan's wife of 52 years, says while sitting on the sun porch as one of her grandsons fishes in the pond out back. "I don't like to use that term but there's no other way to describe it."
So while other legendary Hawks players and ambassadors, including Denis Savard, Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito, have been on hand to witness the Hawks' third Stanley Cup Final series in six seasons, Mikita has not experienced the same joy.
"You know what? He doesn't know he's missing out, he has no idea," Jill Mikita says. "If he was terminally ill and his mind was intact then I think I would be heartbroken. But right now, he has no idea."
Give the full article a read, as it’s worth your time. But another interesting aspect of the piece is the fact that Mikita’s family doesn’t plan on joining any lawsuits against the NHL should his brain be found to have traces of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the neurological disease that’s been found posthumously in dozens of athletes who played contact sports.
The NHL is facing several lawsuits related to its alleged negligence on concussion awareness and prevention; Mikita’s wife said “I don’t think there’s anyone to blame” for his demise.
From the Tribune:
"If he does have CTE, who cares? It's not going to change anything," Jane Mikita says. "He played a sport and a game that he loved and that provided us as a family with a wonderful upbringing. Hockey was good to Stan and Stan was good to hockey. There is no finger to be pointed. He knew what he was doing lacing up those skates every time he got on the ice."
It’s a damn shame he’s been robbed of those memories of lacing up the skates and doing what few others could do in this league. They don’t make’em like Stan Mikita anymore.
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