Talk:Stan Mikita

Untitled

Mikita got beat for the Ross 2x by Hull; what yrs?Trekphiler07:43, 26 December 2005 (UTC)

Only once, actually, in 1966. In Hull's two other Ross years, he beat out Bronco Horvath in 1960 and Andy Bathgate in 1962. Mikita beat out Hull in 1964 and 1967, and Phil Esposito beat him out in 1969.Ravenswing11:37, 26 December 2005 (UTC)

Ucle & Aunt Mikita clarification

We need clarication here. Is Mr.Mikita, Stan's maternal uncle? or is Mrs.Mikita, Stan's maternal or paternal aunt?GoodDay20:06, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

"generally regarded as the best center of the 1960s"

I won't debate that at all. As a kid, Mikita was certainly one of my favorites and remains one of my all-time favorites to this day. But that particular phrasing completely ignoresWP:AWW,WP:NPOVandWP:CITE.It's a pretty harmless sentence, other than being weasel worded. surely a reputable web/book bio must have a fairly similar description of the man and can be used as a ref. Just my thoughts anyways.Peter Fleet23:19, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

I would venture to guess that being named the First Team All-Star center six seasons and the Second Team center three seasons in the 1960s, along with four scoring titles, two MVPs, two Byngs, the only possible answer is "who in the hell else?" It would violate NPOV to assert anything else. (Come to that, the Britannica makes the same assertion.)Ravenswing02:43, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I think the sentence is misleading: centre Jean Béliveau led the Montreal Canadiens to five Stanley Cups that decade, four of them as captain. A hockey player's calibre isn't just measured in goals and assists: like Mikita, Béliveau got many of both but tellingly he was also the most successful team leader in NHL history!Birdman euston(talk)03:26, 24 April 2017 (UTC)

You mean that you disagree that Mikita was the best center of the 1960s. Fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion. But the statement involves whether Mikita wasgenerally regardedas the best center of the 1960s, and it's obvious that he was: by the press, by the league itself by way of awards and trophies. I'm quite happy with any assertion that what Beliveau enjoyed was a far stronger set of teammates than Mikita did (no one's likely to have traded Hull, Hall, Pilote and Wharram for Harvey, Richard, Plante, Laperriere, Cournoyer, Rousseau, Tremblay...)Ravenswing10:32, 24 April 2017 (UTC)

Nickname

"Le Petit Diable" Saving nickname for future use. -Djsasso(talk)22:27, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

Early Life Trivia......

The main article under this heading states: "......moved to Ontario, Canada, as a young boy to avoid the political troubles in the area due to Communist control........".

This may be true, however in his book "I play to win" he gives a humerous ironic anecdote describing the precipitating circumstances. He says there was intense discussion amongst his family about whether to send him to Canada or not. It was at night, he recalls, and he (nine years old) came into the kitchen asking for a bedtime snack. He was abruptly refused and sent back to bed. Determined to get his bread and jam he whined and complained to the point of tears. His mother, reluctant to let her boy go, relented, thinking that his frustration was his wanting to go to Canada and not for the bread or the jam!

Ironically when he returned to Czechoslovakia there was a ceremony at his arrival involving the tradition of eating bread and salt by the returning Native Son.

Ref:I play to win / by Stan Mikita. -- by Mikita, Stan. Don Mills, Ont.: Longmans Canada, c1969.

[I have to say, as an aside, that he must be the most underrated superstar in Hockey. His achievements are phenomenal, his intelligence rivalling Gretzky and Orr. His contributions to promoting the use of the helmet and his contribution to the development of the curved stick is too often overlooked. I was glad to see both him and Bobby Hull recognized at the "Winter Classic" at Wrigley Field.]

Pete318(talk)18:01, 2 January 2009 (UTC)

Small Change

Hi, I just changed the Nationality to Slovak, since he was born there BUT Id like to know if you can put multiple Nationalities since he lives and grew up in Canada... Nationality is tricky since it means basically what nation of people he belongs to, so he is Slovak, but a Canadian citizen...—Precedingunsignedcomment added by99.249.224.61(talk)03:54, 12 June 2009 (UTC)

Good point, but ethnicity, nationality and citizenship are not always synomomous - epecially in Europe. He was born of Slovakian Descent in occupied Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovakian Government operated in exile, but the Reich divided the area into protectorates - Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. Who issued his birth certificate, who issued his passport when he went to Canada? We as children in Canada thought of him as a "Czech" and how ironic a "Czech" could win the Lady Byng so often he must have been a very good "Check". We used to have hockey pucks made in Czechoslovakia - no wonder.... he played like he owned all the pucks.....kids!

Pete318(talk)18:55, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Country of birth

The infobox says Czechoslovakia while the Early life section says Slovakia. We should be consistent. I suggest using Slovakia, since theSlovak Republic (1939–1945)existed at the time of his birth.--SaskatchewanSenator(talk)21:15, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Sokolče wasn't part ofSlovak Republic (1939–1945).It was part of Hungary during 1938-45. So Slovakia is completely wrong. It should be Czechoslovakia (or Hungary). Please change it back.84.231.0.152(talk)21:21, 21 January 2014 (UTC)

Team name clarification

Mikita played for the Blackhawks not the Black Hawks. One is a tribe of American Indian, the other is an animal.

• Mikita played for the BLACK HAWKS, which was what the team was named before the 1986 season. I suggest you familiarize yourself with hockey history before making edits to historical articles.Ravenswing08:18, 1 July 2010 (UTC)