Jiří Hrdina

Jiří Hrdina played most of his Czechoslovakian club career with ČKD Praha from 1977-88, although he was with Dukla Trenčín in 1981-82. Hrdina was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 8th round of the 1984 NHL Player Entry Draft, but could not play in the NHL until 1988, when he joined the Flames. He then played six NHL seasons, four with the Flames, and finishing his career with two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played on three Stanley Cup champions – the Flames in 1989 and the Penguins in 1991-92. He played in 250 NHL regular season games, scoring 45 goals and 130 points.

Hrdina was a defensive forward who played for Czechoslovakia at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal in 1984. He also played at the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups, and at the 1982 and 1985-87 World Championships, winning a gold medal in 1985, a silver medal in 1982 and a bronze medal in 1987. He competed at the World Juniors in 1977-78, winning a bronze medal in 1977. After his playing career ended Hrdina became a European scout for the NHL, first for the Calgary Flames from 1992-99 and then with the Dallas Stars. He also did color commentary on ice hockey for Czech television.