Konik, Breistroff: Home Is Where Harvard Is

Junior Brad Konik and senior Michel Breistroff--two Key players on the Harvard men's hockey team--both return to action this year after taking last year off.

The two sat out last season for strikingly different reasons and are looking to add to the strength of the offensive and defensive lines.

After a brilliant freshman year on the ice where Konik tallied 10 goals and 10 assists, the forward ran into some heavy opposition in 1992.

In the first game of his sophomore year, Konik bruised the cartilage in his knee cap. After taking an 18 month rehabilitative sabbatical from hockey, Konik is back on the ice.

Last year, Konik opted to stay home in Bloomington, Minn., where he could commit himself to a full recovery. The year was filled with work, rehabilitation and playing in a local men's hockey league.

By January, the pain had subsided and Konik was anxious to resume his position on the Harvard team.

Since hockey has always been an enormous part of his everyday life, Konik's injury was an unexpected setback to an already-impressive career.

"I know that I definitely realized how much I love playing the game," Konik says. "Having to watch it in the stands and seeing the team go to the stands and seeing the team go to the final four in the [St. Paul] Civic Center in my hometown was difficult for me."

Coming from a hockey-oriented family, Konik's exposure to the sport began when he was two years old. His father played both college and professional hockey, something which has definitely influenced Konik and his career.

And playing at Harvard was a special dream for Konik, who has fond memories of his experiences as a rookie.

"In my freshman year, we had five freshman coming in nervous about whether they would make the team," Konik says. "All five ended up playing. The whole year was the highlight."

Konik is looking to pick up right where he left off in his freshman season. But he knows that it will take time.

"Because of my situation, I would like to see myself getting better day to day and game to game," Konik says. "I don't want to set too high expectations at the beginning of the year. By the end of the year, I want to be a dominant player in the ECAC and in college hockey as a whole."

Head Coach Ronn Tomassoni is confident that Konik can fulfill his expectations.

"This is somewhat of a transition year for him," Tomassoni says. "He will only get stronger. He's looking pretty darn good already."

With his injury behind him, Konik is ready and willing to make up for his lost time in the rink. And now that he has overcome his toughest foe to this date, he is mentally prepared for anything.

J'alme le Hockey

When senior defenseman Michel Breistroff left Harvard after his junior year, he had the 1994 Olympic Games on his mind.

Breistroff, who hails from Roubaix, France, took the year off to train with the French National Team. Ultimately, his goal was to make the Olympic squad.

Although his goal did not come true, Breistroff came about as close as he could have to making the team--he got cut on January 10, just ten days before the Games were to begin.

Although this was a disappointment for Breistroff, he took the experience in stride, taking advantage of the opportunity to complete with his national team. He has definitely come back with a lot of experience from playing in top international competition.

"I got to play against some good players," Breistroff says. "I played against teams who had a different style of hockey. I would hope that I learned something from that experience."

Breistroff, who was a forward his two years at Harvard, will play defense for the Crimson this year, as he did in 1992-93. And that should help a unit that lost Sean McCann '94, Lou Body '94 and Derek Maguire '94 to graduation.

Breistroff is excited for his last season of Harvard hockey. He would like nothing more than to contribute to another successful season.

"I would really hope to go back to the Final Four and to go one step further and win it all," Breistroff says.

Using last year as a stepping stone, Breistroff has the motivation and the talent to help the team reach its goals.

"When he left, we thought he was a pretty good player," Tomassoni says. "You've gotta believe he is even better now."

The reemergence of Konik and Breistroff gives an enormous boost to the Crimson. The talent and experience that the two players will contribute this year could be essential for a successful season.

"It is a real bonus to get two players of their experience back with us," Tomassoni says.

And for Konik and Breistroff, it is nice to be back at Harvard.