Helmuts Balderis
Helmuts Balderis was born in Riga, Latvia on June 30th, 1952 and is the Hockey Player. At the age of 72, Helmuts Balderis biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 72 years old, Helmuts Balderis has this physical status:
Helmuts Balderis-Sildedzis (born 31 July 1952) is a retired Latvian and Soviet ice hockey player.
He was a right wing player.
Playing career
Balderis participated in the Soviet Hockey League for Dinamo Riga (1969–1985, 1980–1985) and CSKA Moscow (1977–80). He was the top 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, as well as the country's most prolific scorer, scoring 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 he has been to the World Championships in 1978, 1979, and 1983. In five IIHF World Championships (1976–1979, 1983), 1975 Canada Cup, and 1980 Winter Olympics, Balderis represented the Soviet Union (1976-1979, 1983). In the 1977 World Championships, he was named the Best Forward. After leaving CSKA Moscow to play for Dinamo Riga in 1980, he was not selected for the USSR's 1984 Olympic team and appeared in just one major international tournament.
Balderis retired in 1985 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 and played 26 games and scored 6 goals with 6 assists. He was the oldest player to be drafted by an NHL team (36) and the first to score his first goal (37). He came out of retirement after a brief time in Minnesota, but Latvian independence came out for the second time. Balderis played for many games for the newly formed Latvian national team (in 1992), as its captain and scoring 2 goals. He later coached the team and served as its general manager. He currently serves as a board member of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation.
In 1998, he was inducted into the 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)