Jiří Hrdina

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.[3]

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.[4] On the season, he appeared in 70 games and scored 22 goals to go along with 32 assists.[5] He appeared in only four playoff games that season, but was a member of the Flames' Stanley Cup championship team.[6] Playing as a defensive forward, Hrdina recorded 30 points in 64 games in 1989–90.[5]

In need of an additional centre, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Hrdina from the Flames on December 13, 1990, in exchange for defenceman Jim Kyte.[7] The team also hoped he could help their star Czechoslovak rookie Jaromír Jágr, who was struggling to adapt to life in North America.[6] Initially upset at the trade, Hrdina considered retiring or returning to Europe, but chose to give Pittsburgh a try first.[8] 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.[3] 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.[8] The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.[6] 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.[9]