FEATURE: Fans attend visitation to pay respects to Mikita

Outside of the United Center, a line of people stretched around the corner of the building and extended to the statue of the late Stan Mikita.
Flowers graced the effigy of the man beloved by so many in the city of Chicago.
In the heat of an August midday, there was no shortage of No. 21 sweaters - a good number of which were signed - filing into the arena.

Mikita passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018 at the age of 78. On Sunday, fans of every age - including those who would have watched him play in the old Chicago Stadium - came to say their goodbyes to a superstar and extend their heartfelt condolences on to the family.
For some, the memories of Mikita are personal.
"I'm a lifelong Mikita fan," said Terry Frigo, who donned his personalized autographed No. 21 jersey. "I was born in '54, so through the '60s and '70s, I saw the Hawks. Mikita was always my idol."

Frigo says as a young boy he came into possession of a game-used Mikita stick. He brought it to an autograph session one day, where Mikita grabbed the stick and said, "hey kid, where'd you get this? You ain't supposed to have this!"
Mikita - who never turned down an autograph - signed the stick and gave it back to Frigo.
"It took me probably about 20 years to realize he was just (messing with) a kid, but I thought all along, 'Stan Mikita says I'm not supposed to have this. I'm not supposed to have this stick!'" said Frigo, who laughed as he remembered.
"I think Stan Mikita exemplifies the whole sport of hockey," said Dick Ceragioli, who attended the visitation with Frigo. "He was just a great guy with great work ethic. I just enjoyed his play. Great guy."
Arguably the greatest Blackhawk to play the game, Mikita is the all-time franchise leader in points (1,467), games played (1,394), and second with goals (541). He was an innovator, largely credited for bringing the curved stick into today's game, who evolved from scrappy and penalized to winning the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross and the Lady Byng in consecutive seasons.
By all accounts, Mikita was a Hall of Fame player on the ice, and a Hall of Fame person off of it.
Arthur, Cindi and their son, Adam Swanson, came to the United Center to pay their respects more to the man than the hockey player.

Of course, Arthur was a fan of Mikita since a young age but his family respected the legend even more for his community efforts. Adam is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey Team, which Mikita was an ardent supporter of.
"I'm here for special needs hockey," said Adam, who plays right wing and center and is a self-described deft goal-scorer.
"It was a very inclusive philosophy that (Mikita) had," said Cindi. "Deaf hockey, special needs hockey - that's what brought us. I wasn't a hockey fan until I married (Arthur)."
Adam and Mikita even met once, exchanging autographs with each other and also taking a photograph together.
"I thought he was approachable," said Arthur. "We saw him at a charity event one night and he talked to people. He was right at home with everybody. He made you feel welcome. His contributions to the game will go on."
Out of respect for Mikita's quest to do good, his family asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to any of the many causes he held dear to his heart.
His family sat inside the arena's Atrium, with Mikita's casket illuminated, flanked by the numerous trophies he was accustomed to winning and draped with his jersey. Banners hung down at various points in the room with Mikita's image.
Fans solemnly walked the red carpet to view the display, say their goodbyes and turn to the family to give their respects. Sunday's visitation showed the love a fanbase has for one of their greatest players and ambassadors. Clearly, the impact Mikita left on this city will not be forgotten.