George Konik

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-born American professional ice hockey player. He played 52 games in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1967–68 season and 54 games in the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting Saints during the 1972–73 season. Internationally he played for the American national team at the 1970 and 1971 World Championships.

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 and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1952–53	Flin Flon Bombers	SJHL	5	0	0	0	4	—	—	—	—	—
1953–54	Flin Flon Bombers	SJHL	4	0	2	2	4	2	0	0	0	0
1953–54	Flin Flon Bombers	M-Cup	—	—	—	—	—	2	0	0	0	2
1954–55	Flin Flon Bombers	SJHL	12	9	5	14	18	—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	Flin Flon Bombers	SJHL	37	13	21	34	83	12	4	6	10	12
1955–56	Flin Flon Bombers	M-Cup	—	—	—	—	—	7	3	2	5	2
1956–57	Flin Flon Bombers	SJHL	53	35	41	76	73	10	5	7	12	7
1956–57	Flin Flon Bombers	M-Cup	—	—	—	—	—	16	6	3	9	44
1957–58	Flin Flon Bombers	M-Cup	—	—	—	—	—	16	6	4	10	42
1958–59	University of Denver	NCAA	28	21	23	44	75	—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	University of Denver	NCAA	34	13	28	41	50	—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	University of Denver	NCAA	27	12	19	31	40	—	—	—	—	—
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	—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	St. Paul Saints	USHL	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
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	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	American National Team	Intl	6	3	5	8	4	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	American National Team	Intl	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Minnesota Fighting Saints	WHA	54	4	12	16	34	—	—	—	—	—
WHA Totals			54	4	12	16	34	—	—	—	—	—
NHL Totals			52	7	8	15	26	—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1970	United States	WC-B	7	4	7	11	4
1971	United States	WC	9	1	1	2	8
Senior totals			16	5	8	13	12

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. Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
^ @penguins (October 21, 2016). "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Penguins' original team member George Konik, who passed away this morning" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ ^a ^b "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2013.

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
George Konik Associates

[1] "George Konik Obituary". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2016-10-24.

[2] @penguins (October 21, 2016). "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Penguins' original team member George Konik, who passed away this morning" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[ncaa-3] "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2013.

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