Blackhawks @ Ducks GameThread: Spare a Thought for Stan Mikita

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Numbers for Nerds:

14. That's Stan Mikita's position on the all-time Regular Season Points list. The math looks like this 541+926=1467.

22. That's how many seasons he wore the Chicago crest on his chest.

1.3 Million. That's how many people, according to LBDA.org, are believed to have Lewy Body Dementia. The condition with which Stan Mikita has been diagnosed. You can learn about the symptoms here.

I'm not a long time Blackhawk fan, but they are probably my favorite of the Original Six franchises, despite my hate of Gary Suter. In Anaheim, we recently enshrined the first of Anaheim's great hockey sons. As a young franchise, it might be hard to imagine what it's like to pass on history from generation to generation. However, I can guarantee that there's a whole generation of Blackhawk fans whose parents taught them to love hockey with stories of Stan Mikita and the amazing things that man did on the ice. One day, I will watch a Ducks game with one of my children and we will have a fight about some new Anaheim star versus the original Dynamic Duo. We will share that history; we will watch the old film.

Mikita is a revered sports figure. This diagnosis most likely means that he will no longer be able to be a beloved and public figure for the fans of Chicago. The all-time greats are woven into our very lives as sports fans. However, it's not just the loss. Dementia will result in a complete disconnect for Mikita from his identity and the Chicago fans he loved so much. It would be very difficult to think of Teemu without his trademark smile, or love of hockey.

I don't know how Chicago fans are doing, or what conversations are happening among Blackhawk fans as they receive this news. I just wanted to take a minute out of this game we love, and offer some sympathy from the Anaheim Calling Community. Love from all of us here at Anaheim Calling to Chicago Fans everywhere. Let's enjoy this one tonight, for as long as we are lucky enough to enjoy watching the game.

Team Records:

Ducks: 32-11-6, 70 Points, Tops in the league

Chicago: 30-6-2, 62 Points, Third in the Central Division

Ducks Leaders:

Points: Ryan Getzlaf (15+35=50), Ryan Kesler ( 13+19=32), Corey Perry (19+12+31), Sami Vatanen (10+20=30) leads defense

TOI/G: Francois Beauchemin (22:35), Hampus Lindholm (22:04), Sami Vatanen (22:02), Ryan Getzlaf (20:15) leads forwards

Possession (5v5 FF% minimum 34 games played): Patrick Maroon (57.3%), Matt Beleskey (55.3%), Corey Perry (54.7%).

Blackhawks Leaders:

Points: Patrick Kane (23+30=53), Jonathan Toews (14+27=41), Marian Hossa (10+24=34), Duncan Keith(6+23=29) leads defenseman

TOI/G: Duncan Keith (25:51), Brent Seabrook (22:18), Niklas Hjalmarsson (21:57), Patrick Kane (20:26) leads forwards

Possession (5v5 FF% minimum 34 games played): Duncan Keith (55.8%), Jonathan Toews (55.7%), Marian Hossa (55.4%)

Goalies:

Ducks: Frederik Andersen: 27-6-5, .919 SV%, 3 SO

Blackhawks: Corey Crawford: 18-11-2, .919 SV%, 1 SO

Power Play:

Ducks: 17.7%, 18th in the NHL, Sami Vatanen has 6 PP goals

Blackhawks: 19.1%, 13th in the NHL, Patrick Sharp has 7 PP goals

Penalty Kill:

Ducks: 80.9%, 18th in the NHL, Andrew Cogliano has 2 SH goals

Blackhawks: 87.8%, 2nd in the NHLToews and Hossa have 1 SHG each