Helmuts Balderis
Helmuts Balderis-Sildedzis (born 31 July 1952) is a Latvian former ice hockey player.[1][2] He played right wing.
| Helmuts Balderis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
31 July 1952 Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Dinamo Riga CSKA Moscow Minnesota North Stars | ||
| National team |
 Soviet Union and Latvia | ||
| NHL Draft |
238th overall, 1989 Minnesota North Stars | ||
| Playing career |
1973–1985 1989–1996 | ||
Playing career
Balderis played in the Soviet Hockey League for Dinamo Riga (1969–1977 and 1980–1985) and CSKA Moscow (1977–80). He was the leading scorer in the 1977 and 1984 seasons, winning the Player of the Year award in 1977. He was the best Latvian player of the 1970s and 1980s and the most prolific scorer from that nation, tallying 333 goals in Soviet league play.
Balderis played for the Soviet national team, on the losing side of the Miracle on Ice game in 1980 but winning the World Championships in 1978, 1979 and 1983. Balderis represented the Soviet Union in five IIHF World Championships (1976–1979, 1983), 1976 Canada Cup and 1980 Winter Olympics. He was named Best Forward in the 1977 World Championships. He was not selected for the USSR's 1984 Olympic team and played in only one major international tournament after he left CSKA Moscow to go back to play for Dinamo Riga in 1980.
In 1985, Balderis retired and became a coach in Japan. He returned in 1989, when Soviet players were allowed to play in the NHL. Balderis was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars, playing 26 games and scored 3 goals with 6 assists. He became the oldest ever player drafted by an NHL team (36) and the oldest player to score his first goal (37). He retired again after one season in Minnesota, but came out of retirement for the second time when Latvia regained its independence. Balderis played several games for the newly recreated Latvian national team (in 1992), serving as its captain and scoring 2 goals. He later coached the team and served as its general manager. He currently serves as Board Member of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation.[3]
In 1998, he was inducted into IIHF International Hockey Hall of Fame.
Awards
- Soviet league First All-Star Team (1977)
- Izvestia Trophy (Soviet League Top Scorer) (1977, 1983)
- Soviet League Player of the Year (1977)
- World Championships All-Star Team (1977)
- Named Best Forward at the World Championships (1977)
- Leading Scorer of the Latvian League (1993)
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet II | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet III | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet II | — | 12 | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet II | — | 10 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet II | — | 14 | 9 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet II | — | 27 | 15 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 24 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 36 | 34 | 14 | 48 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 36 | 31 | 14 | 45 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 35 | 40 | 23 | 63 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | CSKA Moscow | Soviet | 36 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | CSKA Moscow | Soviet | 41 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | CSKA Moscow | Soviet | 42 | 26 | 35 | 61 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 44 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 41 | 24 | 19 | 43 | 48 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 2 | ||
| 1982–83 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 40 | 32 | 31 | 63 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 39 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Dinamo Riga | Soviet | 39 | 31 | 20 | 51 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 26 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | HK Sāga Ķekava Riga | Latvia | 7 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | RSHVM-Energo Riga | CIS III | 16 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Vecmeistars Riga | Latvia | 7 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Latvijas zelts Riga | Latvia | 22 | 76 | 66 | 142 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Latvijas zelts Riga | Latvia | 7 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Essamika Ogre | Latvia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Essamika Ogre | Latvia | 30 | 18 | 36 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Soviet totals | 462 | 333 | 247 | 580 | 399 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 2 | ||||
| Latvia totals | 53 | 126 | 130 | 256 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Soviet Union | ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 1980 Lake Placid | Ice hockey |
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 1978 Czechoslovakia | Ice hockey |
| 1979 Soviet Union | Ice hockey |
| 1983 West Germany | Ice hockey |
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 1976 Poland | Ice hockey |
| 1977 Austria | Ice hockey |
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Soviet Union | EJC | 5 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 4 | |
| 1976 | Soviet Union | WC | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | |
| 1976 | Soviet Union | CC | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1977 | Soviet Union | WC | 9 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 4 | |
| 1978 | Soviet Union | WC | 10 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 8 | |
| 1979 | Soviet Union | WC | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 9 | |
| 1980 | Soviet Union | OLY | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 5 | |
| 1983 | Soviet Union | WC | 10 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 22 | |
| Senior totals | 59 | 35 | 33 | 68 | 50 | |||
References
- "Visi Latvijas olimpieši; Helmūts Balderis-Sildedzis" (in Latvian). Latvian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
- "Helmut Balderis". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- "Apsveicam Helmutu Balderi 65 gadu dzimšanas dienā!". lhf.lv (in Latvian). 31 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helmuts Balderis. |
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Helmut Balderis at Team CCCP International
- (in Latvian) Helmūts Balderis-Sildedzis at The Latvian Olympic Committee
- (in Russian) Helmuts Balderis at The Russian Ice Hockey Federation
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vladislav Tretiak |
Soviet MVP 1977 |
Succeeded by Boris Mikhailov |
| Preceded by Victor Shalimov |
Soviet Scoring Champion 1977 |
Succeeded by Vladimir Petrov |
| Preceded by Sergei Makarov |
Soviet Scoring Champion 1983 |
Succeeded by Sergei Makarov |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by – |
Latvian national ice hockey team coach 1992–1994 |
Succeeded by Mihails Beskašnovs |