Artūrs Irbe
| Artūrs Irbe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Irbe with the EC Red Bull Salzburg in 2005–06 season
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| Born |
February 2, 1967 Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for |
Soviet III Latvijas Berzs Riga ShVSM Riga Soviet Dynamo Riga IHL Kansas City Blades NHL San Jose Sharks Dallas Stars Vancouver Canucks Carolina Hurricanes AHL Lowell Lock Monsters ECHL Johnstown Chiefs Belarus Extraliga HK Riga 2000 EBHL EC Red Bull Salzburg Latvia SK Rīga 20 Slovak Extraliga Hk Dynamax Oil Nitra |
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| National team |
 Soviet Union  Latvia
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| NHL Draft | 196th overall, 1989 Minnesota North Stars |
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| Playing career | 1986–2008 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Soviet Union
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
1989 Sweden | Ice hockey |
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1990 Switzerland | Ice hockey |
Artūrs Irbe (born February 2, 1967) is a Latvian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. Born during the Soviet era, Irbe played for various Soviet league teams and the Soviet Union national team before moving to North America in 1991. Irbe played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes. In 2004 Irbe returned to Europe to play until he retired in 2007. He later returned to the NHL as goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals during the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons. Irbe left the team on June 11, 2011 to spend more time with his family.
In 2014, Irbe joined the coaching staff of the Buffalo Sabres. Irbe had previously worked with Sabres coach Ted Nolan when the latter was coach of the Latvia men's national ice hockey team On November 18, 2014 at the age of 47, he suited up after the injury of Michal Neuvirth, to be the backup of Jhonas Enroth.
Irbe was drafted in the 10th round, 196th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.
His first professional hockey team was Dinamo Riga of the Soviet Hockey League (from 1987 to 1991). After playing in only 2 games during the 1986–1987 season Irbe got a chance to become Dinamo Riga's number one goaltender during the 1987–1988 season when their starting goaltender and Olympic champion, Vitali Samoilov went down with a long term injury. In his only full professional season, Irbe was outstanding in helping Dinamo Riga make it to the finals of the Soviet Hockey League where they eventually lost to perennial Soviet champions CSKA Moscow. During this period he also played for the Soviet Union in the World Championships in 1989 and 1990. The Soviet team won those two championships and Irbe was honoured as the best goalkeeper of the 1990 tournament. He refused to play for the Soviet Union in 1991 because Latvia had proclaimed independence from the Soviet Union on May 4, 1990 and the Soviet government attempted to use military force in January 1991 to stop Latvia's independence. When the Moscow government sent tanks rolling to Riga, Irbe was among those who took to the streets and put up barriers to protect buildings, radio stations, TV towers and historical landmarks.
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