Former NHL star Stan Mikita waits for his turn on the ice in Vancouver in this 1998 file photo as he and fellow NHL oldtimers practiced for an upcoming game against the Vancouver Canucks oldtimers during the All-Star weekend.Ward Perrin/The Canadian Press
A sad story is the top headline in the hockey world on Monday as the Chicago Blackhawks prepare to play for their sixth Stanley Cup.
In a front page article in the Chicago Tribune, reporter Chris Kuc details the declining health of Hall of Famer and Blackhawks great Stan Mikita, who is suffering from dementia and living in a long-term care facility.
Mikita, 75, is still an ambassador for the team he became a superstar with – winning the 1961 Stanley Cup, two Hart trophies and four Art Ross trophies – but isn't aware they are one win away from their third championship in six years.
"His mind is completely gone," Mikita's wife, Jill, says in Kuc's piece. "I don't like to use that term but there's no other way to describe it."
The Blackhawks announced in January that Mikita was dealing with suspected Lewy Body dementia, but there hadn't been an update on his condition until Monday.
The family does not blame hockey for Mikita's condition and does not intend to sue to the NHL for damages, as many retired players suffering the effects of careers filled with head injuries have in recent months.
"He played a sport and a game that he loved and that provided us as a family with a wonderful upbringing," his daughter, Jane, said. "Hockey was good to Stan and Stan was good to hockey. There is no finger to be pointed."