Helmuts Balderis-Sildedzis (born 31 July 1952) is a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
former
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
player.
He played
right wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...
, participated in the Soviet team's losing effort in the
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tourna ...
, and played part of a single season in the NHL after being drafted in 1989 by the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
, becoming the oldest player to be drafted by an NHL team at the age of 36.
Playing career
Balderis played in the Soviet Hockey League for
Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga ( lv, Rīgas Dinamo) is a professional ice hockey team based in Riga, Latvia. It is a member of the Latvian Hockey Higher League. The club is affiliated with HK Zemgale/LLU.
The club was re-founded on 7 April 2008 as a successor of ...
(1969–1977, 1980–1985) and
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
(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 S.S.R. 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
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tourna ...
game in 1980 but winning the World Championships in
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
,
1979 and
1983. Balderis represented the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in five IIHF
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(1976–1979, 1983), 1976
Canada Cup
The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world ...
and 1980
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
. 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
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. He returned in 1989, when Soviet players were allowed to play in the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
. Balderis was drafted by the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
, 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
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
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
The Latvian Ice Hockey Federation ( lv, Latvijas Hokeja federācija), commonly abbreviated as LHF is the Sport governing body, governing body that oversees ice hockey in Latvia, including the Latvian Hockey Higher League, the Latvia women's nation ...
.
In 1998, he was inducted into
IIHF
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
International Hockey Hall of Fame.
Awards
*
Soviet league
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
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
International
References
External links
*
Helmut Balderis at Team CCCP InternationalHelmūts Balderis-Sildedzis at The Latvian Olympic CommitteeHelmuts Balderis at The Russian Ice Hockey Federation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balderis, Helmuts
1952 births
Living people
Dinamo Riga players
Dynamo sports society athletes
HC CSKA Moscow players
Ice hockey players at the 1980 Winter Olympics
IIHF Hall of Fame inductees
Latvian ice hockey right wingers
Minnesota North Stars draft picks
Minnesota North Stars players
Olympic ice hockey players of the Soviet Union
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union
Soviet expatriate ice hockey players
Soviet expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Ice hockey people from Riga
Medalists at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR
Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples