Helmuts Balderis

Helmuts Balderis
Born	(1952-07-31) July 31, 1952 Riga, Latvia
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Dynamo Riga CSKA Moscow Minnesota North Stars
National team	Soviet Union and Latvia
NHL draft	238th overall, 1989 Minnesota North Stars
Playing career	1969–1985 1989–1990 1991–1996

Helmuts Balderis

Medal record
Representing Soviet Union
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
	1980 Lake Placid	Ice hockey
World Championships
	1976 Poland	Ice hockey
	1977 Austria	Ice hockey
	1978 Czechoslovakia	Ice hockey
	1979 Soviet Union	Ice hockey
	1983 West Germany	Ice hockey
Canada Cup
	1976 Canada Cup	Ice hockey

Helmuts Balderis-Sildedzis (born 31 July 1952, Riga, Latvia) is a retired Latvian ice hockey player. He played right wing.

Playing career

Balderis played in the Soviet Hockey League for Dinamo Rīga (1969–77 and 1980–85) 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 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 created 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 is currently a member of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation (Latvijas Hokeja Federācija; LHF).

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 World Championships (1977)
• Leading scorer of the Latvian league (1993)

Career statistics

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes;

				Regular season
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1967–68	Dynamo Riga	Soviet II
1968–69	Dynamo Riga	Soviet III
1969–70	Dynamo Riga	Soviet III			12
1970–71	Dynamo Riga	Soviet II			10
1971–72	Dynamo Riga	Soviet II			14	9	23
1972–73	Dynamo Riga	Soviet II			27	15	42
1973–74	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		24	9	6	15	13
1974–75	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		36	34	14	48	20
1975–76	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		36	31	14	45	18
1976–77	Dynamo 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	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		44	26	24	50	28
1981–82	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		50	39	24	63	50
1982–83	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		40	32	31	63	39
1983–84	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		39	24	15	39	18
1984–85	Dynamo Riga	Soviet		39	31	20	51	52
1989–90	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		26	3	6	9	2
1991–92	HK Rīga	Latvia		7	23	18	41	27
1992–93	Latvijas Zelts	Latvia		22	76	66	142	16
1994–95	Essamika Ogre	Latvia		1	0	1	1	0
1995–96	Essamika Ogre	Latvia		30	18	36	54	12
Soviet totals				462	333	247	580	399
NHL totals				26	3	6	9	2

International play

• Played for USSR in 1971 European Junior Championships
• Played for USSR in 1976 Canada Cup
• Played for USSR in 1976–77 Super Series
• Played for USSR in World Championships (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983)
• Played for USSR in 1979 Challenge Cup
• Played for USSR in 1980 Super Series
• Played for USSR in 1980 Winter Olympic Games
• Played for and coached Latvia in qualifications for 1993 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. He coached the team until 1994.

International statistics

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	P	PIM
1971	Soviet Union	EJC		5	10	1	11	4
1976	Soviet Union	Canada Cup		5	2	3	5	6
1976	Soviet Union	WC		10	3	7	10	6
1976–77	Soviet Union	Super Series		7	4	4	8	14
1977	Soviet Union	WC		9	8	7	15	4
1978	Soviet Union	WC		10	9	2	11	8
1979	Soviet Union	Chal. Cup		3	1	1	2	0
1979	Soviet Union	WC		8	4	5	9	9
1980	CSKA Moscow	Super Series		5	5	2	7	2
1980	Soviet Union	Olympics		7	5	4	9	5
1983	Soviet Union	WC		10	4	5	9	22
1992	Latvia	WC Group C qualifying		2	2	2	4	0

External links

• Helmuts Balderis biography at Legends of Hockey (archived)
• Helmuts Balderis career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Helmut Balderis at Team CCCP International