George Samolenko

After two years with the Winnipeg Monarchs of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, from 1947 through 1949, forward George Samolenko moved his ice hockey career to the Ontario Junior Hockey League, where he played for two seasons with the Oshawa Generals. After a year with the Oshawa Truckmen of the Ontario Sr. B. Hockey Leagues, and another overseas with the Paisley Pirates of the British National League, he settled with the Eastern Ontario Hockey League and spent his first season with the Kingston Goodyears.

Upon joining the Whitby Dunlops in 1956 his career began to rise in prominence and he took an Allan Cup, given annually to the Canadian senior men’s ice hockey champions, in his first season with the team. This victory earned the Dunlops an opportunity to play for Canada at the 1958 World Ice Hockey Championships, where they reaffirmed their country’s faith in them by bringing home a gold medal from the tournament.

They won a second Allan Cup in 1959, which gave them the right to represent Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics, but this time the team turned the chance down. The offer then passed to the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen, who accepted and took Samolenko along with them. At the tournament he played in seven matches and scored eight goals. When he returned to Canada, he had an Olympic silver medal and decided to retire from active play for good.