Jiří Hrdina (born January 5, 1958) is a Czech former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

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 The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) with the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

and

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

. Of his four full NHL seasons, Hrdina is a three-time

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

champion, playing on NHL championship teams in

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. 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

National Hockey League

The

selected Hrdina with their eighth round selection, 159th overall, at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. 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 The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Calgary 1988 were a multi-sport event held from February 13 to 28, 1988, with Calgary, Calgary, Alberta as the main host city. This marks the m ...

. 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 The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 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. 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'

championship team. Playing as a defensive forward, Hrdina recorded 30 points in 64 games in 1989–90. In need of an additional centre, the

acquired Hrdina from the Flames on December 13, 1990, in exchange for defenceman Jim Kyte. The team also hoped he could help their star Czechoslovak rookie Jaromír Jágr, who was struggling to adapt to life in North America. Initially upset at the trade, Hrdina considered retiring or returning to Europe, but chose to give Pittsburgh a try first. 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 The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

, including the game winner. The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup. 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 The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hrdina, Jiri 1958 births Living people Calgary Flames draft picks Calgary Flames players Calgary Flames scouts Czech ice hockey centres Dallas Stars scouts Ice hockey players at the 1984 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1988 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players for Czechoslovakia Olympic medalists in ice hockey Olympic silver medalists for Czechoslovakia Pittsburgh Penguins players Ice hockey people from Mladá Boleslav Stanley Cup champions HC Sparta Praha players HK Dukla Trenčín players