World Cup skier Kristina Koznick, veteran NHL center Bryan Smolinski and World Champion Beach Volleyball player Randy Stoklos have been elected into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame for 2015.
Kristina Koznick is one of the United States most decorated female World Cup slalom racers, racing 12 World Cup seasons with six World Cup wins, 20 podiums and 55 top ten finishes. She was the top U.S. female in World Cup slalom standings every year from 1995 -2005, and ranked in the top 15 in the world from 1998-2006, rising to as high as second in 1998-1999 and again in 2001-2002. Koznick is a five-time U.S. National Slalom Champion and a three-time Olympian (1998, 2002 and 2006). She retired in 2006.
Bryan Smolinski started playing college hockey in 1989 at Michigan State University and was drafted as the 21st pick in the 1990 NHL Draft. He joined the Bruins after completing his four years at MSU where he was named All-CCHA first team and NCAA All-American. Smolinski played 17 seasons in the NHL with the Bruins, Penguins, Islanders, Kings, Senators, Blackhawks, Canucks and Canadiens. He played in 1,056 NHL games, scoring 651 points with 274 goals and 377 assists. Smolinski was a two-time member of Team USA for the World Cup (1996 and 2004) and a two-time member of the U.S. World Championship team (1998 and 1999).
Randy Stoklos played 19 years on the professional beach volleyball tour earning his first career title at the 1981 Manhattan Beach Open. He went on to win 122 Career Opens which is third on the all-time wins list. Stoklos won three U.S. Championships (1982, 1988 and 1990) and was voted AVP’s Most Valuable Player three times (1988, 1989 and 1991). Stoklos teamed with Sinjin Smith to win the Beach Volleyball title at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona as a demonstration sport which became an official Olympic sport at the following Olympics in 1996. He became the first player to reach the $1 million mark in earnings and finished his career ranked third on the AVP Career Earnings list.
The awards will be presented to the recipients at the 43rd Annual Induction Banquet on Thursday, June 18, 2015, at the American Polish-Cultural Center in Troy, Michigan. Tickets for the banquet, which begins at 6 p.m., are $100 and can be ordered by calling (313) 407-3300. Information about the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame is available at www.polishsortshof.com.