George Konik
| George Konik | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 4, 1937 Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Died |
October 21, 2016 (aged 79) Eagan, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Pittsburgh Penguins Minnesota Fighting Saints | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| Playing career | 1961–1973 | ||
George Samuel Konik (May 4, 1937 – October 21, 2016) was a Canadian American professional ice hockey player.
Career[]
Konik was a star on the University of Denver hockey team which won the NCAA hockey championship in 1960 and 1961. He signed a professional contract with the New York Rangers after that but did not make his NHL debut until 1967–68 after the expansion Pittsburgh Penguins traded for his rights. Konik made 52 appearances as a versatile role player for the Penguins that season, but drifted back to the minor professional leagues after that.
Konik (who settled in Minnesota in 1964[1]) eventually became a naturalized American citizen and joined the United States national team for the 1970 and 1971 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments; he was named best defenceman in 1970. Konik came out of retirement in 1972/73 to play a final season of major league pro hockey for the WHA Minnesota Fighting Saints before leaving hockey for good. Konik died in the morning of October 21, 2016; his death was announced later that day by the Penguins' official Twitter account.[2]
Business career[]
After Hockey Konik founded George Konik Associates, a technical staffing firm in 1974 and Maple Leaf Travel in 1982.
Career statistics[]
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1961–62 | Los Angeles Blades | WHL | 43 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Seattle Totems | WHL | 42 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 50 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 38 | ||
| 1963–64 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 72 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Minnesota Rangers | CPHL | 38 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1966–67 | Omaha Knights | CPHL | 66 | 27 | 47 | 74 | 109 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 24 | ||
| 1967–68 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 52 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Rochester Mustangs | USHL | 29 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Rochester Mustangs | USHL | Statistics Unavailable | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1970 | US National Team | Intl | 13 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | US National Team | Intl | 49 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 54 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL Totals | 52 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors[]
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA Second Team | 1959–60 | |
| AHCA West All-American | 1959–60 | |
| NCAA All-Tournament First Team | 1960 | [3] |
| All-WCHA First Team | 1960–61 | |
| NCAA All-Tournament Second Team | 1961 | [3] |
- Central Professional Hockey League First All-Star Team (1967)
- 1970 World Ice Hockey Championships Pool B (WEC-B) All-Star Team (1970)
- Named Best Defenseman at WEC-B (1970)
- Named to WCHA TOP 50 PLAYERS IN 50 YEARS
- Inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame (2011)
- January 31, 1968 - George Konik scores on the first penalty shot in franchise history at St. Louis beating Glenn Hall in a 9-4 Penguins loss.
References[]
- ^ "George Konik Obituary | Star Tribune".
- ^ https://mobile.twitter.com/penguins/status/789535324749852672[bare URL]
- ^ a b "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- George Konik Associates
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- 1937 births
- 2016 deaths
- AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
- American men's ice hockey left wingers
- Baltimore Clippers players
- Canadian emigrants to the United States
- Canadian ice hockey left wingers
- Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey players
- Ice hockey people from Manitoba
- Los Angeles Blades (WHL) players
- Minnesota Fighting Saints players
- Minnesota Rangers players
- NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
- Pittsburgh Penguins players
- Seattle Totems (WHL) players
- Sportspeople from Flin Flon
- Canadian ice hockey winger, 1930s births stubs
- American ice hockey winger stubs