Quick Facts
TaurusBiography
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) 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.
Business career
After Hockey Konik founded an engineering firm in 1974 named George Konik Associates.
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 | |
| All-WCHA First Team | 1960–61 | |
| NCAA All-Tournament Second Team | 1961 |
- 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)