Crash claims Czech coach
Flame recalls time with Hlinka
By RANDY SPORTAK -- Calgary Sun
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Former NHL head coach Ivan Hlinka, seen here discussing strategy with Jaromir Jagr, died Monday in a car crash in his native Czech Republic. (Bruce Bennett Studios) |
There's a moment in time burned into Andrew Ference's mind.
A moment all thanks to Ivan Hlinka.
There was Ference during the 2001 playoffs, standing on the ice for a Pittsburgh Penguins powerplay.
Surrounding him was a collection of talent he still marvels about: Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka and Alexei Kovalev.
"I remember thinking to myself, one of these things does not belong," recalled Ference yesterday with a laugh.
It was Hlinka, the Czech Republic hero, who decided to implement the European five-man system with the Pens that year and Ference, now with the Flames, was a huge benefactor -- netting an impressive 10 points in 18 games while the Penguins made it to the Eastern Conference final.
Sadly, Ference was hit with the news Hlinka died yesterday from injuries suffered in a car accident Sunday night in the Czech Republic.
"Any time you lose somebody you know, it's sad," Ference said from his home in Canmore. "I went through it last summer with Herb Brooks."
Hlinka, 54, was driving to meet Jagr -- who assured him he'd report to the Czech team Hlinka was to coach during the World Cup of Hockey -- when his car crashed into a truck.
To most North American hockey fans, Hlinka will be remembered as one of the first European-born head coaches in the NHL, a stint that lasted just more than a season.
Ference said he and the Penguins knew Hlinka had a great mind for coaching, it was just difficult because of the language barrier.
"It was kinda neat to be part of that experiment and see how things panned out," Ference said. "He didn't really work with the defencemen. I learned more from the way he wanted us to play.
"That was the first and only time I played for somebody who used five-man units.What was good for me was playing a lot with Jagr. I don't know if you can call it a great learning experience but it was a pretty unbelievable experience."
However, Hlinka was so much more than a coach to the game of hockey.
In a ceremony during the 2004 world championship in Prague, Hlinka was named best Czech player of all time. As a player, he helped Czechoslovakia win world titles in 1972, 1976 and 1977, Olympic bronze in 1972 and Olympic silver in 1976.
Hlinka was also named top forward in the inaugural Canada Cup tournament in 1976.
In 1981, Hlinka and compatriot Jiri Bubla joined the NHL's Vancouver Canucks in starting the Czech migration to the NHL.
"He and Bubla and the Stastny brothers opened the door for Czech players like (Borje) Salming and (Inge) Hammarstrom did for Swedish players," former Canucks teammate Tiger Williams recalled.
Hlinka's name still appears in the Canucks' record book, sharing the club mark for most points by a rookie (60) with Pavel Bure. In his two years in the NHL, Hlinka scored 42 goals and assisted on 81 others in 137 games.
"He was a real high-quality player," said Williams. "He probably never got the billing over here he should have.
Hlinka finished his playing career with a Swiss club in 1985 before turning to coaching. He coached national teams to two world championships and three Olympic medals in the 1990s, including 1998 Winter Games gold.
He served as associate coach of the Penguins in 1999-2000 before assuming head-coaching duties the next season. In 2000-2001, the season Mario Lemieux came out of retirement, Hlinka led the Penguins to a 42-28-9-3 record. They got all the way to the conference final but, after an 0-4 start the following season, he was fired.
Vladimir Ruzicka, a former NHL player who played for Hlinka at the '98 Olympics, is a leading candidate to take the World Cup coaching job.
