| Position: | Defence |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 190 |
| Ntl Team: | USA |
| Birth Date: | 4 May 1937 |
| Birth Place: | Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada |
| Death Place: | Eagan, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Played For: | Pittsburgh Penguins Minnesota Fighting Saints |
| Career Start: | 1961 |
| Career End: | 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.
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]
After hockey Konik founded George Konik Associates, a technical staffing firm in 1974 and Maple Leaf Travel in 1982.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | |