Stan Mikita was one of the toughest players ever to skate in the NHL. But one time, he accidentally injured Gordie Howe. Howe waited months for his chance to get even, and when he finally did, Mikita learned not to mess with Mr. Hockey, especially after hearing Howe’s words afterward.
”Have you learned anything?” Howe asked.
Stan Mikita wasn’t just a great scorer, winning the Art Ross Trophy four times in five seasons between 1963 and 1968. In his early NHL years, Mikita was also known as one of the toughest and most penalized players in the league.
READ MORE: Scotty Bowman summed up Gordie Howe perfectly with one sentence
Stan Mikita injured Gordie Howe
But that all changed after a road trip with the Chicago Blackhawks, the only team he played for during his 22 NHL seasons. When Mikita returned home, his wife told him that their daughter, Meg, had watched one of his games on television and kept asking why her dad spent so much time sitting down. After that, Mikita changed his style of play and eventually won two Lady Byng Trophies, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct on the ice.
When Stan Mikita entered the NHL in 1959, Gordie Howe was already a seasoned veteran with 12 NHL seasons for his Detroit Red Wings under his belt. And Mikita learned the hard—and painful—way not to mess with Mr. Hockey.
Mr. Hockey’s brutal revenge
Years later, Mikita shared the story with author Bill Dow.
“Once I accidentally cut Howe under the eye, and he gave me a look I’ll never forget. A couple of months later at Olympia Stadium, we were both turning in the Wings’ end. The next thing I remember, I was crawling to the Chicago bench and my head was killing me. Our backup goalie, Denis DeJordy, told me he saw what happened. Gordie had skated by me, slipped his right hand up under his armpit, pulled out his fist, popped me in the jaw, and put his glove back on. A few shifts later, he ambled by and asked if I had learned anything. I asked, ‘Are we even?’ Gordie said, ‘I’ll think about it,’” Mikita recalled, according to Vintage Detroit.
It’s a classic old-school hockey story—and a reminder that Gordie Howe never forgot, and rarely forgave.
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