Jiří Hrdina

Jiří Hrdina
Hrdina during the alumni game at the 2011 Heritage Classic
Born (1958-01-05) January 5, 1958 (age 66)
Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Calgary Flames
Pittsburgh Penguins
National team  Czechoslovakia
NHL draft 159th Overall, 1984
Calgary Flames
Playing career 1977–1992
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1984 Sarajevo
World Championship
Silver medal – second place 1982 Finland
Silver medal – second place 1983 West Germany
Gold medal – first place 1985 Czechoslovakia
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Austria
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Switzerland
World Junior Championship
Bronze medal – third place 1977 Czechoslovakia

Jiří Hrdina (born January 5, 1958) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He spent 10 seasons in the Czechoslovak First League with Sparta ČKD Praha and HK Dukla Trenčín and five in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins. Of his four full NHL seasons, Hrdina is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, playing on NHL championship teams in 1989, 1991 and 1992.

Internationally, Hrdina was a member of the Czechoslovakian national team between 1977 and 1990. He appeared in two Canada Cups, and played in six World Championships. He was a member of five World Championship medal-winning teams, including a gold medal at the 1985 tournament. He is a two-time Olympian and won a silver medal with the Czechoslovak team at the 1984 Games in Sarajevo.

Playing career

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National Hockey League

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The Calgary Flames selected Hrdina with their eighth round selection, 159th overall, at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.[1] However, due to a Czechoslovak policy at the time regarding national team players, he was not permitted to join a professional team until after the 1988 Winter Olympics.[2] Hrdina joined the Flames at the Games' conclusion, and made his NHL debut, as a 30-year-old, on March 3, 1988. He recorded his first point, an assist, in that game, then scored his first NHL goal on March 15 against the Hartford Whalers.[1] He appeared in nine games to end the 1987–88 season with Calgary and scored two goals and seven points.

Hrdina had a four-goal game early in his first full NHL season, 1988–89, leading the Flames to a 6–3 win over the Whalers.[3] On the season, he appeared in 70 games and scored 22 goals to go along with 32 assists. He appeared in only four playoff games that season, but was a member of the Flames' Stanley Cup championship team.[4] Playing as a defensive forward, Hrdina recorded 30 points in 64 games in 1989–90.

In need of an additional centre, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Hrdina from the Flames on December 13, 1990, in exchange for defenceman Jim Kyte.[5] The team also hoped he could help their star Czechoslovak rookie Jaromír Jágr, who was struggling to adapt to life in North America.[4] Initially upset at the trade, Hrdina considered retiring or returning to Europe, but chose to give Pittsburgh a try first.[6] He finished the 1990–91 season with 23 points in 51 games combined between the Penguins and Flames, and appeared in 14 more in the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He scored two goals in the playoffs, both in game seven of Pittsburgh's first round series against the New Jersey Devils, including the game winner.[6] The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.[4] As a depth player in 1991–92, Hrdina had 16 points in 56 regular season games, and added two assists in 21 playoff games as the Penguins repeated as champions. He announced his retirement from the NHL following the season. He is currently an amateur scout for the Dallas Stars.[7]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1977–78 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR Jr 35 6 8 14 20
1978–79 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 39 7 8 15 18
1979–80 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 44 7 7 14 24
1980–81 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 42 14 20 34 54
1981–82 ASVŠ Dukla Trenčín CSSR 44 11 27 38 36
1982–83 ASVŠ Dukla Trenčín SVK-2 36 40 24 64
1983–84 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 44 16 33 49 28
1984–85 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 44 18 19 37 30
1985–86 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 40 28 21 49 30
1986–87 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 37 20 23 43 50
1987–88 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 22 7 15 22 30
1987–88 Calgary Flames NHL 9 2 5 7 2 1 0 0 0 0
1988–89 Calgary Flames NHL 70 22 32 54 26 4 0 0 0 0
1989–90 Calgary Flames NHL 64 12 18 30 31 6 0 1 1 2
1990–91 Calgary Flames NHL 14 0 3 3 4
1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 37 6 14 20 13 14 2 2 4 6
1991–92 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 56 3 13 16 16 21 0 2 2 16
CSSR totals 356 128 197 325 300
NHL totals 250 46 85 130 92 45 2 5 7 24

International

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Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1977 Czechoslovakia WJC 7 2 2 4 0
1978 Czechoslovakia WJC 6 1 3 4 0
1982 Czechoslovakia WC 9 1 0 1 4
1983 Czechoslovakia WC 9 1 0 1 4
1984 Czechoslovakia OLY 7 4 6 10 10
1984 Czechoslovakia CC 5 0 1 1 4
1985 Czechoslovakia WC 10 2 2 4 4
1986 Czechoslovakia WC 10 7 5 12 14
1987 Czechoslovakia WC 10 3 3 6 6
1987 Czechoslovakia CC 6 1 2 3 0
1988 Czechoslovakia OLY 8 2 5 7 4
1990 Czechoslovakia WC 9 1 5 6 8
Junior totals 13 3 5 8 2
Senior totals 83 22 28 50 50

References

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  1. ^ a b Halls, Pat, ed. (1990). 1990–91 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club.
  2. ^ Maki, Alan (1987-01-02). "Hrdina really rings in new year". Calgary Herald. p. E1. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  3. ^ "Hrdina, Flames beach Whalers". Record-Journal. Meriden, CT. 1988-11-08. p. 15. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  4. ^ a b c Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 508. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
  5. ^ McMillan, Tom (1990-12-14). "Pens get Czech center from Calgary". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 23. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  6. ^ a b Palm, Mike (2010-12-19). "Penguins Cup Chronicles: Jiri Hrdina". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2013-08-24.[dead link]
  7. ^ "Hrdina announces retirement". The Daily Sentinel. Pomeroy–Middlesport, OH. 1992-07-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
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