Stanislav Konopásek (April 18, 1923 – March 6, 2008) was a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
player.
Playing career
Konopásek played as a
winger when he was drafted for LTC Praha in 1935, whom he would play with until 1950.
He also played on the national team, winning the 1947 and 1949 World Championships and a silver medal at the
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the ...
in
St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Konopasek himself scored the winning goal that denied Canada the 1949 Championships.
In the 1948 Olympics, Konopasek also scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over the United States, tying Canada's record of 7–0–1.
They eventually lost to Canada by a single goal.
In 1950, as they were about to get on an airplane to defend their World Championship title in London, he and several of his
teammates were charged with trying to leave Czechoslovakia and assaulting state police.
Konopasek was sentenced to 12 years in prison for "slandering the republic", later reduced to 5.
Other teammates received sentences ranging from six months to 15 years.
After getting out of prison, he then played for Tatra Smíchov (1955–1956), Sparta Praha (1956–1962), and Motorlet Praha (1962–1963), closing his international career with 69 goals in 50 games.
Coaching career
After finishing his playing career in ice hockey he coached Motorlet Praha (1963–1965), GKS Katowice (1965–1968), and Sparta Praha (1968–1973).
GKS Katowice
GKS Katowice (; GKS stands for , ) is a Polish professional football club based in Katowice. They currently compete in the Ekstraklasa in the 2024–25 season after gaining promotion from the I liga in 2024.
History
In 1963 in Katowice a spe ...
, a Polish team, won a national championship in 1968 while coached by Konopásek.
Death
Stanislav Konopásek died in Prague on March 6, 2008, following a long illness.
[Several sources claim he was 94 at death; however]
databaseOlympics.com
correctly gives his birthdate at April 18, 1923, making him actually 84. He was survived by his wife, Anna, and a son.
See also
*
1950 Imprisonment of Czechoslovak Ice Hockey Players
The 1950 imprisonment of Czechoslovak ice hockey players refers to the arrest and incarceration of eleven members of the Czechoslovakia national ice hockey team in March 1950. The event occurred under the Communist regime and is considered one of t ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konopasek, Stanislav
1923 births
2008 deaths
Czech ice hockey left wingers
Czechoslovak ice hockey coaches
Czechoslovak ice hockey left wingers
HC Sparta Praha players
Ice hockey players at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Olympic ice hockey players for Czechoslovakia
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Olympic silver medalists for Czechoslovakia
People from Beroun District
People convicted of treason against Czechoslovakia
Ice hockey people from the Central Bohemian Region
Czech ice hockey coaches
Czechoslovak expatriate ice hockey people
Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in Poland
Sportspeople convicted of crimes