Posted on 06/15/2015 10:36:09 AM PDT by Borges
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks are one win away from winning another Stanley Cup championship.
But one of the team’s ambassadors can’t enjoy it, because he doesn’t know its happening.
Hall of Famer Stan Mikita spent his entire 22-year NHL career in Chicago.
He’s now 75 and suffers from a brain disorder called Lewy body.
The disorder can lead to dementia, hallucinations, and memory loss.
Mikita’s wife, Jill, tells the Chicago Tribune, “His mind is completely gone. I don’t like to use that term, but there’s no other way to describe it.”
“He doesn’t know he’s missing out. He has no idea.”
Since January, Mikita has been spending most of his days at a facility that keeps his body healthy.
But he has no recollection of his playing career, and he’s unable to care for himself.
“I pray everyday that he goes because this is no quality of life. There is no dignity,” said Mikita’s daughter Jane.
Mikita is the Blackhawks’ all-time leading scorer.
Me too!
15 years ago, I met Cliff Koroll at a McDonald's corporate function (he was a consultant to them I believe). We got to talking hockey. He told me he never made more than $8,000/year playing hockey. As a comparison to similar types of players, Koroll's stats are slightly below Patrick Sharp's, and well above Kris Versteeg's. And those guys are getting around $5.5 million and $2.2 million/year respectively!
Very possible his care costs far more than his pension checks..............
Me too. Stan was one of the nicest athletes I ever met, and Bobby always signed every autograph for the kids. I'm glad he was still able to enjoy the cups in 10 and 13.
I just saw a great article in USA Today a few weeks ago where they are using stem cell treatments for this. They profiled Bobby Hull and John Brody, it has made all the difference for these guys. Maybe it can help this guy.
"Here's a name for you nostalgia fans: Clarence "Screaming Buffalo" Swamptown. I'll never forget an exclusive interview in which Swamptown revealed that he calls his hockey stick the "Big Tomahawk," and he usually refers to the opposing players as "the little scalps"."
Al Arbour
Ojibwa Indian .Henry Boucha. From the Iron Range in MN. Really nice man.
Yup, getting old sucks. Luckily we remember Stan.
Sticks didn’t start getting curved until the mid-60s, Stan was one of the early adopters but still played a good chunk of his career in the pre-curve era.
I was never a Rangers fan, but I was a hockey fan and used to listen to the Rangers broadcasts all the time with Marv Albert and Sal “Red Light” Messina.
I assumed the nickname was a jab at a former goalie, but given Albert’s later scandals maybe he had another type of red light in mind.
I remember watching the Penguins back in the day, and the last goaltender to play without a mask (as far as I know) - Andy Brown, I think. Thought he was completely nuts.
they were a great team...one of the funniest things I ever heard live was after a wayward puck headed towards their booth Marv quipped, “and just like his playing days in the net Sal ducked as the puck was flying towards us.”
That's possible but my comment was directed more toward those whose retirement medical care covers the expenses,
RE: “...one of the funniest things I ever heard live was after a wayward puck headed towards their booth Marv quipped, “and just like his playing days in the net Sal ducked as the puck was flying towards us.””
Marv is at least as good at hockey play-by-play as he is at basketball, and he’s very good at basketball. For some reason it never worked as well with football. I also liked him better on radio rather than TV because he really paints a picture, captures the flow, and gets the emphasis points right. (It’s easier to appreciate on the radio.)
I don’t remember any specific quotes with Messina, but I do remember them working well together. I never minded bedtime because we only had 3 TV channels (finally got cable in the early 80’s), but I has a decent radio that would pick up New York and Boston (+ Hartford for hockey) and occasionally Baltimore or Cleveland, although they would fade in and out.
Around the same time (’75-’80) the Islanders had an obnoxious play-by-play guy that I couldn’t stand, although I would listen when they played my North Stars. His shtick when the Islanders scored was to practically yell “go-o-oal. Islander goal, Islander goal.”
I did a little search to try to figure out who he was, and it turns out I’ve hated him twice without realizing it’s the same guy. Now his shtick is “Yankees win! The...Yankees win!” - John Sterling
Cliff Korrol? Wow haven’t heard that name since I had his 3 by 5 PR photo as a kid.
I remember all you had to do was write the Hawks with a sase and they sent you nice photos on photo paper of the entire team. Well done and far nicer than the fleer hockey cards of the time.
You are correct on that one. Andy Brown played parts of three seasons in the NHL from about 1971-72 through 1973-74 for Detroit and Pittsburgh without a mask. On April 7, 1974, he played his last (and the last by a barefaced goalie) in the NHL against the Atlanta Flames. This game was broadcasted by NBC and I would love to see if NBC kept colour videotapes of this and other games they broadcasted back during the 1972 to 1975 era. As a further note, Brown jumped to the World Hockey Association’s Indianapolis Racers the following season and continued to play maskless until his retirement (due to back problems) in 1977. Indianapolis is where Wayne Gretzky later started his pro career in 1978-79.
Went to a Penguins game with seats right behind Brown. He WAS completely nuts.
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