Blackhawks honor Mikita with 'One More Shift'

CHICAGO -- Billy Gneiser was a little more nervous Friday than he was earlier in the week.
The Chicago Blackhawks were honoring his grandfather, Hall of Fame center Stan Mikita, with "One More Shift." Billy, 13, and his brothers, Charlie, 15, and Tommy, 11, took the ice on behalf of Mikita, who Billy said taught him how to skate, tie his skates, tape his stick and win face-offs.

"The main thing I'm thinking about is, 'Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall,'" Gneiser said.
Mikita, 77, no longer attends Blackhawks events. In January 2015, he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a brain disorder that has severely affected his memory. For his family and Blackhawks players, Friday was a chance to honor the man who means so much to them.
"I'm fortunate to call myself a friend of Stan's, and what he means to the organization and city of Chicago, you can't say enough," Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said. "You see the numbers, the stats and all the accomplishments he has as a player with this organization. But more than anything he's been a mentor and a great friend to the guys in this room."

Mikita played all 22 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks (1958-80) and scored 1,467 points (541 goals, 926 assists) in 1,396 games and won the Stanley Cup in 1961. He is their all-time leader in games, points and assists, and is second to Bobby Hull (604) in goals. Mikita won the Art Ross Trophy four times, the Hart Trophy twice and the Lady Byng Trophy twice, and was a nine-time All-Star.
Mikita's daughter, Jane Mikita Gneiser, visits him every day.
"He is, from the neck up, completely gone," she said. "From the neck down, he's as strong as a horse."
But when she told Mikita the Blackhawks were honoring him, "he perked up. My dad has a caretaker, and she's going to put [the game] on. I don't know if he'll realize."
Mikita used to be a staple at the Blackhawks Convention, held every July. Forward Jonathan Toews loved listening to Mikita and Bobby Hull tell stories.
"Sitting on the panel and [Patrick Kane] and I laughing at how composed and how witty and funny those two were, Stan especially," Toews said. "He had a lot of great qualities as a person, as a leader, and he carried that into his later years."
Though Mikita couldn't be there, he's always going to be a part of the Blackhawks.
"When you don't see him around as much you're still kind of disconnected to what he accomplished as a player, what he did for the city," Toews said. "But we all know what that name means to the franchise, hockey in Chicago and its history."