George Konik, whose commanding blueline presence helped his hometown Flin Flon Bombers conquer the odds to win a national championship in 1957, has died. He was 79.
Konik, who was living in Eagan, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on Oct. 21 after a 17-year battle with Parkinson’s and dementia, according to his obituary in the Star Tribune.
Konik and Jean Gauthier formed the Bombers’ top defensive pairing when the club famously won the 1957 Memorial Cup. Konik also played on the top power play unit.
“George’s biggest contribution would be his offence, because he could handle the puck extremely well, make good passes and he had a heck of a shot for that day and age,” recalls Ted Hampson, captain of the Bombers’ championship team and a lifelong friend of Konik’s.
“He was a bigger kid and he always stood up for his teammates, and we had confidence with him on the ice in a lot of ways, both in the physical game and also that he had the skill to play against any opponents.”
Born and raised in Flin Flon, Konik joined the Bombers in 1952-53, when he was 15.
Hampson, who moved to Flin Flon as a child, was not surprised to see his friend make the team.
“George was always big for his age, so he was always playing up a level from the rest of us,” says Hampson.
“He was the guy we all looked to as an example.”
While naturally talented, the ruggedly handsome Konik saw limited action in his first two seasons with the Bombers. His breakout season came in 1954-55, when he earned 14 points in 12 games.
His final season with the Bombers, 1956-57, was also the most celebrated in club history. Against long odds, the team defeated the Ottawa-Hull Junior Canadiens to capture their first (and only) Memorial Cup championship.
Konik was a powerhouse that season, garnering 76 points (35G, 41A) in 53 regular season games. He followed that up with 10 points (6G, 4A) in 16 games in the Memorial Cup tournament. He was also named the SJHL’s MVP.
He played hockey in 12 of the next 15 seasons, spending some or much of that time as a forward. He spent two seasons with the University of Denver Pioneers, helping the squad to back-to-back championships while earning a degree in electrical engineering.
After stints in the minors, Konik cracked the NHL for a single season with the expansion Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967-68. He accumulated 15 points (7G, 8A) in 52 games.
He played his final season of pro hockey for the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints in 1972-73. Among his teammates that year: his old friend Ted Hampson.
When his hockey days were over, Konik worked as an electrical engineer, having settled in Minnesota with wife Ila and their four children. In 1974, he founded George Konik Associates (GKA), a contract engineering company.
“Throughout the years, George gained a great reputation for treating everyone very fairly and with the utmost respect,” reads a bio on the GKA website. “Whether an entry-level Technician or senior-level Manager, George treated everyone equally.”
In 2000, Konik sold GKA to his son, Brad, who had also played college and minor-league hockey.
As fate would have it, Hampson, an NHL scout, lived near Konik in Minneapolis. The friends would often get together for lunch.
Hampson remembers Konik, a member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, as a good-natured man who was serious when he had to be.
“He was always full of pranks and liked to get a laugh, but he wasn’t afraid to have pranks pulled on him,” says Hampson, recalling how his friend would hide teammates’ sticks or put Vaseline in their gloves.
Konik’s passing means 10 players remain from the 1957 Memorial Cup champion Bombers, according to Hampson’s count.
