Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita dead at 78

Stan Mikita, the Blackhawks legendand a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, died Tuesday, . He was 78. "He was surrounded by his loving family whom he fiercely loved," the Mikitafamily said in a statement released through the Blackhawks. "Details of planned services will be released when they become available. We respectfully ask for privacy at this time." NHL.com's Dave David Edwards Jersey Stubbs Mikitawas suffering from a "lengthy illne s" at the time of his death. Hehad been diagnosed withLewy Body dementia, the Mikitafamily revealed in 2015. Mikita, known for his offensive craft, is celebrated as one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time. In a 22-year NHL career all in Chicago he set franchise records for games played (1,396), points (1,467) and a sists (926), all of which stand today. His541 goals rank second. He won two Hart Trophies for the NHL's most valuable player, four Art Ro s trophies as leading scorer, and two Lady Byngs, winning Greg Gaines Jersey all three in back-to-back seasons (1967, 1968) the only player in historyto do so in the Jake Funk Jersey same year. He alsohelped the Blackhawks capture the Stanley Cup in 1961. Mikita retired from the NHL following the 1979-80 season, one of eight players inhistory to play 1,300 games exclusively for a single franchise. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983. "Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game," Blackhawks presidentJohn McDonough said in a statement. "He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks. His excellence is illustrated by the team records he still holds today. His pa sion for the game was proved by the longevity of his playing career. "The impact he had on the franchise is proved by fact that Blackhawks fans still wear his jersey to the United Center. On behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks organization and our fans, we expre s our deepest condolences to the Mikita family and all who mourn Stan's pa sing." Matt Gay Jersey Mikita'sNo. 21 hangs in the rafters at the United Center, and the franchiseerected a statue in his honor outside the arena in 2011. It was around that time whenfamily and friends began noticing changes Darrell Henderson Jr. Jersey in Mikita's behavior and memory lo s, . The family later disclosed he had been suffering from dementia. "His mind is completely gone," . "I don't like to use that term, but there's no other way to describe it." Mikita requested that his brain be donated for CTE research after his death. In recent years,Mikitaworked as an amba sador for the Blackhawks before his health began deteriorating.