Stan Mikita, the leading scorer in Blackhawks history, is the best player to wear No. 21 in NHL history, according to an NHL.com panel.
Mikita, a center, took the top spot over Peter Forsberg with 52 points to the Swedish center’s 41 points across 19 voters. First-place votes were worth three points, second-place votes worth two points and third-place votes worth one point.
Mikita received 14 first-place votes and five for second, while Forsberg had five for first, 12 for second and two for third. Borje Slaming had the two remaining second-place votes.
“He was, at times, the top player in the game,” said former Blackhawks forward and current NBC Sports Network analyst Patrick Sharp. “He had no weaknesses in his game. What a player and what an influence in the game he was.”
Mikita, who played a franchise high 1,396 games from 1958-80, leads the Blackhawks in points (1,467) and assists (926), and is second in goals (541) and game-winning goals (84) and third in power play goals (150). His 1,467 points ranked 15th in NHL history.
Mikita, who won the Stanley Cup in 1961, won the Hart Trophy twice as League MVP, four Art Ross trophies as the League’s leading scorer and the Lady Byng twice as the most gentlemanly player. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
On Oct. 19, 1980, No. 21 became the first number to be retired in Black Hawks history.
Others receiving votes: Peter Forsberg, 41 (5-12-2); Borje Salming, 16 (0-2-12); Guy Carbonneau, 3 (0-0-3); Brent Sutter, 2 (0-0-2).