Ivan Hlinka
| Ivan Hlinka | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 HC Dukla Trenčín |
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| National team |
 Czechoslovakia
|
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1966–1987 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Czechoslovakia
|
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1972 Sapporo | Team |
 |
1976 Innsbruck | Team |
| World Championships | ||
|
1971 Berne/Geneva | Team |
 |
1972 Prague | Team |
|
1973 Moscow | Team |
|
1974 Helsinki | Team |
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1975 Munich/Düsseldorf | Team |
|
1976 Katowice | Team |
|
1977 Vienna | Team |
|
1978 Prague | Team |
|
1979 Moscow | Team |
|
1981 Gothenburg/Stockholm | Team |
Ivan Hlinka (January 26, 1950 – August 16, 2004) was a Czech professional ice hockey player and coach. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in Czech ice hockey history. A big center, his playing style was comparable to Phil Esposito, often scoring with shots from the slot.
Hlinka began to play ice hockey at a young age. When he was six years old, he was playing HC Litvínov's youth team. He played in Czechoslovak league for the first time when he was 16.
At the age of 20, he became a captain Litvínov's men's team and played in the Czechoslovak national team for the first time. He played 256 games as a member of the Czechoslovak national team and scored 132 goals in international games. He also played in 544 games in Czechoslovak league and scored 347 times. Hlinka was named the Golden Hockey Stick winner as the country's top player in 1978.
Hlinka helped the Czechoslovak team to win world titles in 1972, 1976, and 1977. As a member of the Czechoslovak team, he won an Olympic bronze medal in 1972 and a silver medal in 1976.
He played in the inaugural Canada Cup tournament in 1976, the international tournament in which the best available players competed for their countries (most notably, players from the NHL). Canada defeated Czechoslovakia in the best-of-three final two games to nothing, with scores of 6–0 and 5–4. Darryl Sittler scored in overtime of the second game to secure Canada's victory. The following year, he was named the national team's captain, a position he held from 1977 to 1980.
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