Jiří Hudler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jiří Hudler |
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Hudler with the Calgary Flames in 2013
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| Born | 4 January 1984 Olomouc, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | HC Vsetín Havířov Panthers Ak Bars Kazan Detroit Red Wings Dynamo Moscow Lev Praha HC Oceláři Třinec Calgary Flames Florida Panthers Dallas Stars |
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| National team |  Czech Republic |
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| NHL Draft | 58th overall, 2002 Detroit Red Wings |
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| Playing career | 1999–2017 | ||
Jiří Hudler (born 4 January 1984) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He was a forward who played for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). These teams included the Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars.
Hudler started his career in the Czech Extraliga, which is the top hockey league in the Czech Republic. He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. He achieved a major career highlight by winning the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008. He also played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for HC Dynamo Moscow.
Contents
Playing Career
Early Hockey Days
Jiří Hudler began his hockey journey in the top Czech league, the Czech Extraliga, during the 1999–2000 season. He played for a team called HC Vsetín. In the 2001–02 season, he showed great skill by scoring a point in almost every game.
Because of his talent, the Detroit Red Wings picked him in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 58th player chosen overall. Hudler stayed in the Czech Extraliga for another season. He also had a short time playing for Ak Bars Kazan in Russia.
Moving to North America
Hudler moved to North America for the 2003–04 hockey season. He played 12 games for the Red Wings that year. However, he spent most of his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins. This team is Detroit's minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
In his first AHL season, he scored 49 points in 57 games. Due to a lockout in the NHL in 2004–05, Hudler stayed in the AHL. He also played seven games back with Vsetín. In the 2005–06 season, he had an amazing year with the Griffins. He scored 36 goals and 96 points in 76 games. This earned him a spot on the AHL Second All-Star Team. His 60 assists that season set a new record for the Griffins team.
Becoming a Red Wing Star
Hudler finally became a full-time player for the Detroit Red Wings in the 2006–07 season. He scored 25 points in 76 games. The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association even named him the team's rookie of the year. He was known for scoring many goals even though he played fewer minutes than other players.
During the 2007 playoffs, Hudler played on and off. He often shared ice time with another player, Kyle Calder. He helped the team with two assists in six games. An older teammate, Robert Lang, helped Hudler a lot when he first joined the team. Hudler even lived at Lang's house for a while.
In his second full season with the Red Wings, Hudler improved his game, scoring 42 points. On June 4, 2008, he achieved a huge dream. He won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings! He scored five goals and had nine assists during their successful playoff run. He even scored the winning goal in Game 4 of the Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He continued to get better in the 2008–09 season, scoring 23 goals and 57 points. The Red Wings faced the Penguins again in the Finals that year. However, they lost in seven games and could not win the championship again.
Time in Russia
After the 2009 season, Hudler became a free agent. He decided to sign a contract with HC Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). This league is based in Russia. He played there for one season.
Back to Detroit
After his season with Dynamo Moscow, Hudler left the team in April 2010. Just a few days later, he returned to the Detroit Red Wings. He signed a new contract for two years. He was not able to play in the 2010 playoffs because he joined the team after the trade deadline. However, he was back on the ice for the 2010–11 NHL season.
Playing for the Flames
On July 2, 2012, Hudler signed a four-year contract with the Calgary Flames. In the 2014–15 season, Hudler had his best year ever in the NHL. He scored 76 points in 78 games. His great play helped the Flames reach the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in six years.
He was also nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy. This award is given to the NHL player who shows the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high level of playing ability. He won the award on June 24, 2015.
Later NHL Teams
During the 2015–16 season, Hudler was traded to the Florida Panthers. This happened on February 27, 2016. He played for the Panthers for the rest of that season.
After that, he became a free agent again. On August 23, 2016, Hudler signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars. He played his final NHL season with the Stars in 2016–17.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1999–2000 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | CZE U20 | 47 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 73 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1999–2000 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | ELH | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | CZE U20 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | ELH | 22 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | HC Femax Havířov | ELH | 15 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | HC Vsetín | ELH | 46 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE.2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 10 | ||
| 2001–02 | HC Olomouc | CZE.3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | HC Vsetín | ELH | 30 | 19 | 27 | 46 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 57 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 46 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 | Vsetínská hokejová | ELH | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 52 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 76 | 36 | 60 | 96 | 56 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 20 | ||
| 2005–06 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 76 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 26 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 14 | ||
| 2008–09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 82 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 16 | 23 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | Dynamo Moscow | KHL | 54 | 19 | 35 | 54 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 42 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Lev Praha | KHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Oceláři Třinec | ELH | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 42 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 75 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 78 | 31 | 45 | 76 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 53 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 19 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 32 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| ELH totals | 126 | 48 | 68 | 116 | 116 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 708 | 164 | 264 | 428 | 243 | 83 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 40 | ||||
| KHL totals | 69 | 20 | 41 | 61 | 68 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Czech Republic |
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World U18 Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2002 Slovakia | |
International Play
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Czech Republic | U17 | 5th | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2000 | Czech Republic | WJC18 | 6th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2002 | Czech Republic | WJC18 |  |
8 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 8 | |
| 2002 | Czech Republic | WJC | 7th | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2003 | Czech Republic | WJC | 6th | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2003 | Czech Republic | WC | 4th | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Czech Republic | WJC | 4th | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2013 | Czech Republic | WC | 7th | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2014 | Czech Republic | WC | 4th | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 39 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 24 | ||||
| Senior totals | 27 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 16 | ||||
Awards and Records
- 2005–06 — AHL Second All-Star Team
- 2005–06 — AHL Grand Rapids Griffins team record with 60 assists.
- 2006–07 — Hudler was named "Detroit Red Wings Rookie of the Year" by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.
- 2007–08 — NHL Stanley Cup (Detroit Red Wings)
- 2014–15 — Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
