Motivation

STAN MIKITA

Stan Mitika was born on May 20, 1940 in Sokolce, Czechoslovakia and passed away August 7, 2018. He emigrated to St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada as a young boy and lived with his aunt and uncle. Stan Mikita joined the Blackhawks in 1959.

In Canada Mikita had a hard time fitting in because he couldn’t speak English. Children teased him and treated him badly. Eventually Mikita learned to play hockey and as his skills improved so did other parts of his life.

“I was miserable. I wanted to be a jet pilot and fly back home. I cried every time I saw a plane crossing overhead…But those early years in Canada taught me a lot. Often, I’d see other kids whispering or calling me things I didn’t understand.” (Gunther, 10)

“There’s not much difference between not knowing a language and not being able to hear.” (Novak, 1)

"I could hear the words, but I had no idea what they meant," Mikita says. "Although I wasn't shut out by the hearing world, I was basically being shut out by my peers." (Herzog, 2)

(Image: Milbert)

IRV TIAHNYBIK

Irv Tiahnybik was born on May 28, 1922 and died on January 14, 2011. A few weeks later, Irv was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of fame, January 30, 2011.

Irv was a businessman and neighbor of Stan Mikita. Irv’s son Lex experienced significant hearing loss. Lex’s hearing loss was due to meningitis. Lex was a goalie and loved hockey but struggled to fit in with other kids.

The Tiahnybik family went to Blackhawks practices:

“Afterward Chicago goaltender Glenn Hall would give the 11-year-old Lex net minding tips while Mikita offered up a few slap shots. Soon Lex was part of a team—the Chicago Minor Hawks (an independent youth team)—and no longer feeling frustrated and isolated. "He had a goal in life. He could be one of the boys by being a good hockey player."-Irv Tiahnybik (Herzog, 2)

Things temporarily improved, but later Lex had a coach with an “old school way” of dealing with children with hearing issues.

“Lex was the one with the hearing difficulty, but his family felt it was the coach who couldn't communicate. I felt if Lex had this problem, countless other boys around the country probably had the same problem."-Irv Tiahnybik (Herzog, 2)

Ultimately, the family’s experiences lead to the creation of AHIHA.

"He was an absolute introvert since his fifth birthday when the kids started to call him 'dummy'."-Irv Tiahnybik (Damata, 1)

"Lex was very shy and withdrawn, but an interest in hockey brought him out of his shell. This gave Irv the motivation to help form the Association” (Ledereer - shared from AHIHA Archives)

(Image: AHIHA Online Archives)

Irv & Stan

(Image: AHIHA Online Archives)

ANSWERING THE CALL: AHIHA IS CREATED

AHIHA is a deaf or hard of hearing hockey organization where kids with hearing issues can go and learn how to play hockey and interact with kids who also have hearing difficulties. Irv wanted to create a deaf hockey school for kids like his son Lex. At Lex’s old hockey club, the coach was excluding Lex because of his disability. AHIHA started when Irv Tiahnybik shared his idea with Blackhawk legend, Stan Mikita.

Stan liked the idea and together with the help from others they created the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association in 1973.

“A friend of mine has a son who became deaf through meningitis. He called me one spring and asked me to keep a week out of my schedule because he wanted to start a school for deaf kids. I wanted to help.” -Stan Mikita (Cazeneuve, 4)

"Stan jumped at the challenge to create a program so hockey players who are deaf and hard of hearing could learn the game he loved so much himself. He delivered not just his time and talent, he brought along his team. Stan recruited current and former NHL players to help coach and run the school including his friend and AHIHA co-founder Gene Ubriaco. He led the effort to secure sponsors to fund the school and personally reached out to local hockey organizations across the country to find hockey players who were deaf and hard of hearing to participate. It is fair to say, deaf hockey in the United States exists today in large part because of Stan Mikita." (Source: www.hometeamsonline.com - Gone But Not Forgotten)

What is AHIHA?

AHIHA is a nonprofit deaf hockey organization for deaf or hard of hearing hockey players. To be officially hearing impaired, individuals must have a 40db or greater hearing loss. AHIHA gives these players opportunities to become good at hockey, build confidence on and off the ice, and make friends with children who are also have hearing issues.

Even though Stan & Irv have both passed on, AHIHA continues to help deaf and hard of hearing individuals learn important life lessons.

American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association:Slashing the Sound Barrier

Motivation

American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association:
Slashing the Sound Barrier