Eriks Koneckis

This is Eriks Koneckis, a Latvian hockey star prior to World War II. He may also be known as Erich Konecki, as he was known in Germany where he starred after the War. Either way, he was known as one of the best hockey players in Europe in this frame.

I honestly do not know much about Koeckis. Born in Riga, he played with ASK Riga from 1936 through 1943. He represented Latvia at the World Hockey Championships in 1938.

After Latvia was taken over the Soviet Union, Koneckis fled to Germany. He played in Germany from 1945 through 1961, starring with Augsburg, Krefeld, Mannheimer and Dortmund. He is best known in Krefeld, where he also spent 3 seasons as a playing coach.

Born in 1920, Koneckis died in 2006 in Dortmund at the age of 85. The year prior he was inducted into the German Hockey Hall of Fame.