Ivan Hlinka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ivan Hlinka |
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| Born | January 26, 1950 Most, Czechoslovakia |
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| Died | August 16, 2004 (aged 54) Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | HC Litvínov EV Zug Vancouver Canucks Dukla Trenčín |
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| National team |  Czechoslovakia |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1966–1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ivan Hlinka was a famous Czech professional ice hockey player and coach. He was born on January 26, 1950, and passed away on August 16, 2004. Many people think he is one of the most important figures in Czech ice hockey history.
Hlinka played as a big centre, which is a forward who plays in the middle of the ice. His playing style was like another great player, Phil Esposito. Ivan often scored goals by shooting from the "slot," a key area right in front of the net.
Contents
Playing Ice Hockey: Ivan's Journey
Ivan Hlinka started playing ice hockey when he was very young. At just six years old, he joined the youth team of HC Litvínov. He made his first appearance in the top Czechoslovak league when he was only 16.
By the age of 20, Hlinka became the captain of Litvínov's main team. He also joined the Czechoslovak national ice hockey team for the first time. He played 256 games for his country, scoring 132 goals in international matches. In the Czechoslovak league, he played 544 games and scored 347 goals.
In 1978, Hlinka was named the Golden Hockey Stick winner. This award goes to the best ice hockey player in Czechoslovakia.
Winning Medals for Czechoslovakia
Hlinka helped the Czechoslovak team win world titles in 1972, 1976, and 1977. He also won an Olympic bronze medal in 1972 and a silver medal in 1976 as part of the Czechoslovak team.
In 1976, Hlinka played in the first-ever Canada Cup tournament. This was a big international competition where the best players from different countries, including those from the National Hockey League (NHL), competed. Canada won the final series against Czechoslovakia. The next year, Hlinka became the captain of the national team, a role he held until 1980.
Playing in the NHL: A New Chapter
In 1981, Ivan Hlinka and another Czech player, Jiří Bubla, joined the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL. This was a big moment because they were the first Czechoslovak players to play in the NHL with their country's permission. Before them, only Jaroslav Jiřík had played a few games legally in 1969–70.
In his first NHL season, Hlinka set a record for the Canucks. He scored 60 points as a rookie, which was later matched by Pavel Bure. During the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Canucks made it to the Finals against the New York Islanders. Even though Vancouver lost, Hlinka became the first Czech player to ever play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The next season, Hlinka played even better, getting 63 points in 65 games. In his two years in the NHL, he scored 42 goals and made 81 assists in 137 games.
Returning to Europe
Hlinka returned to Europe in 1983 to finish his playing career. He played for the Swiss team EV Zug until 1985. After that, he went back to Litvínov, where he started his coaching career.
Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Victory
After returning to Czechoslovakia, Hlinka began coaching his old team, HC Litvínov. He also coached for a short time in Freiburg, Germany.
In the 1986–87 season, Hlinka did something amazing. His team, Litvínov, was in last place in the Czechoslovak league. Hlinka, who was 37 years old, decided to start playing again. Litvínov immediately got better, going unbeaten in Hlinka's first eight games. He played 19 games in total that season and scored 23 points.
Coaching National Teams
In the 1990s, Hlinka became the head coach of the Czechoslovak national ice hockey team and later the Czech national ice hockey team. His teams won bronze medals at the Albertville Olympics and the World Championships in 1992 and 1993. He left the national team after the 1994 World Championship.
Hlinka returned to coach the national team in 1997, and his team won another bronze medal at the World Championship. He became a national hero when his team won the gold medal at the Nagano Olympics. This was the first time NHL players were allowed to play in the Olympics. The entire Czech Republic celebrated this huge win. The Czech hockey team's strength was shown again in May 1999 when Hlinka's team won the World Championship again.
Coaching in the NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins
In the 2000–01, Hlinka returned to the NHL as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He and Alpo Suhonen were among the first Europeans to coach in the NHL. His first season was also when Mario Lemieux returned to play. Together, they led the Penguins to a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals. They beat the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres before losing to the New Jersey Devils.
The next season, 2001–02, was not as successful for the Penguins. Hlinka was fired after only four games and returned to Europe.
After his time in the NHL, Hlinka worked as the general manager of the Czech national team in 2001–02. In 2002–03, he coached the Russian team Avangard Omsk for one season.
Coaching Record in the NHL
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| PIT | 2000–01 | 82 | 42 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 96 | 3rd in Atlantic | Lost in Conference Finals |
| PIT | 2001–02 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | (69) | (fired) | — |
| Total | 86 | 42 | 32 | 9 | 3 | ||||
Ivan Hlinka's Passing
Ivan Hlinka was planning to coach the Czech national team again for the 2004–05 season. However, he sadly died on August 16, 2004, at the age of 54. He was in a car accident when his car crashed head-on with a truck near Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
He was on his way to meet Jaromír Jágr to make sure he would play in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. The truck driver claimed he had to avoid an animal, but it was more likely he made an illegal turn. Experts said that even if Hlinka had been wearing a safety belt, it would not have saved him.
Awards and Honors for Ivan Hlinka
- Czechoslovak Player of the Year (1977–78)
- All-Star Centre at the 1978 IIHF World Championship
- Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame (2002)
- Czech Ice Hockey Legend (2004)
- The Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament for national U18 ice hockey teams is named after him.
- The Ivan Hlinka Stadion, the arena of HC Litvínov, is named after him.
Records Set by Hlinka
- Vancouver Canucks team record for most points by a rookie (60). This record was later broken by Elias Pettersson during the 2018–19 NHL season.
Career Statistics: Player Performance
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1966–67 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 14 | 4 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 32 | 15 | 14 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 36 | 21 | 17 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 33 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 36 | 20 | 18 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 36 | 31 | 23 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 36 | 24 | 11 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 42 | 27 | 27 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 44 | 36 | 42 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 30 | 25 | 18 | 43 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 43 | 39 | 23 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 43 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 23 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | ASVŠ Dukla Trenčín | TCH | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 33 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 40 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 72 | 23 | 37 | 60 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 65 | 19 | 44 | 63 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1983–84 | EV Zug | CHE II | 41 | 46 | 43 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | EV Zug | CHE II | 39 | 30 | 43 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | TCH | 9 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| TCH totals | 532 | 346 | 325 | 671 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 137 | 42 | 81 | 123 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 8 | ||||
International Games
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1971 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1972 | Czechoslovakia | OLY | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1972 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1973 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1974 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 2 | |
| 1975 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1976 | Czechoslovakia | OLY | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1976 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 4 | |
| 1976 | Czechoslovakia | CC | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | |
| 1977 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 5 | |
| 1978 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 4 | |
| 1979 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | |
| 1981 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 107 | 52 | 51 | 103 | 48 | |||
Quotes About Ivan Hlinka
- "It's not that he was just a coach, but he was sort of like Herb Brooks was for America." – Tomáš Vokoun
- "Ivan Hlinka was a tremendous ambassador for the game of hockey." – Craig Patrick, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins
- "He was a real high-quality player. He probably never got the billing over here he should have. You look back on his hockey career on both sides of the pond and he had quite a resume." – Tiger Williams
Ivan Hlinka's Own Words
- "We had a small problem that we didn't know whether Jarda Jágr would go fifth or Vláďa Růžička would go fifth but then, I would say, a respect overpoised because when Vláďa Růžička said he wanted to go fifth, then Džegr said he would go fourth. Patýs was a bit surprised when we democratically elected him to go because he hadn't played at the end and I believed he can score with a techniques somewhat." – About a penalty shootout against Canada at the Nagano Olympics.
- "It doesn't happen very often at us but we had a bigger will to win than Canada had." – After a win against Canada at the Nagano Olympics.
- "I got information about numbers of people standing at various places at home in the beginning of the game. So we thank them that they crossed their fingers for us, it was probably somehow worthy and we will be proud again that we are Czechs and it will not be just because of the hockey." – After winning Olympic gold medals at the Nagano Olympics.
