Wikipedia

Jiří Dopita

Jiří Dopita (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjɪr̝iː ˈdopɪta], born 2 December 1968 in Šumperk, Czechoslovakia) is former Czech professional ice hockey player, and later ice hockey coach. He has played in the Czech Elite League most of his career. He briefly played in the National Hockey League. Dopita has primarily played center throughout his career.

Jiří Dopita
Born (1968-12-02) 2 December 1968 (age 56)
Šumperk, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 227 lb (103 kg; 16 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for HC Dukla Jihlava (ČSSR)
HC Olomouc (CSSR)
Eisbären Berlin (DEL)
HC Vsetín (CZE)
Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Edmonton Oilers (NHL)
HC Pardubice (CZE)
HC Znojemští Orli (CZE)
National team  Czech Republic
NHL draft 133rd overall, 1992
Boston Bruins
123rd overall, 1998
New York Islanders
Playing career 1990–2013
Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1996 Austria
Gold medal – first place 2000 Russia
Gold medal – first place 2001 Germany
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Switzerland
Winter Olympics
Gold medal – first place 1998 Nagano

Playing career

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Early in his career, Dopita attracted little notice as a professional prospect. At age 23, Dopita was selected in the sixth round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins, but never came to North America while the Bruins owned his rights. However, starting in 1993, Dopita joined the German Bundesliga with Eisbären Berlin, averaging over a point per game in the Bundeliga and with Berlin's later entry in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Starting in the 1995–96 season, Dopita returned to his native Czech Republic and played with VHK Vsetín of the Czech Extraliga. Dopita continued his scoring pace in the Czech Republic, averaging over a point per game every year in six seasons with Vsetín, compiling 315 career points, and being selected again in the NHL draft, this time in 1998 being selected in the 5th round at 123rd overall by the New York Islanders. However, once again, Dopita would not play with the Islanders. And at the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, his rights were traded to the Florida Panthers for a 5th-round choice that year.

By the late 1990s, some, such as the Hockey News, considered Dopita the best player outside the NHL. He was a member of the gold medal-winning Czech team at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and was named Czech player of the year in 2001, the first non-NHLer to win the award since Roman Turek in 1994. When it became clear that Dopita still did not seem to have interest in coming to North America, his NHL rights were moved again at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2nd-round selection that year, the Flyers made a concerted effort to bring Dopita to the NHL. The Flyers had convinced Dopita's former Vsetin HC teammate Roman Cechmanek to come to North America before the previous season, and the 32-year-old Dopita agreed to join him in Philadelphia for the 2001–02 NHL season.

However, Dopita's time in the NHL proved to be disappointing. He recorded respectable totals getting limited ice time with Philadelphia, including a four-goal game against the Atlanta Thrashers, but a knee injury limited him to 52 games. After the season, his rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers, where he was expected to be a top-two centre. However, Dopita had a terrible season, recording only six points in 21 games.

After only two years in the NHL, Dopita returned to the Czech Republic, this time with LTC Pardubice. In his second year with Pardubice, at age 36, Dopita recorded less than a point per game in European competition for the first time since his time with HC Olomouc. For 2005–06, Dopita joined HC JME Znojemští Orli and remained with the team for the 2006–07 season.

On 5 May 2006, Dopita became the majority shareholder of HC Olomouc.

Coaching career

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From 2013–14 to 2014–15, Dopita served as the assistant coach of HC Olomouc, the team he owned.

At the start of the 2015–16 season, Dopita was head coach of the HC Olomouc Under 18 (U18) team. On December 17, he was hired as head coach of HC Oceláři Třinec, in the top level Czech Extraliga.

From 2016–17 to 2019–20, Dopita was head coach of VHK Vsetín; Vsetín was in the third level 2nd Czech Republic Hockey League (Czech 2. Liga) during his first season, earning a promotion to the second level 1st Czech Republic Hockey League (Czech 1. Liga) at season's end. The team stayed in Czech 1. Liga for the remainder of his time as head coach.

During his first year (2016–17) with VHK Vsetín, Dopita also served as head coach of the Czech National U19 team, and assistant coach of the Czech team at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (U20).

Awards and achievements

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  • Olympic gold medal winner for the Czech Republic in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano
  • IIHF World Champion: 1996, 2000, 2001
  • Golden Stick Award: 2001 (the highest trophy an ice hockey player can get in the Czech Republic)
  • Czech Extraliga – Champion: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005
  • Czech Extraliga – Regular Season MVP: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
  • Czech Extraliga – Play-Off MVP: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001
  • Czech Extraliga – Leading Goal Scorer: 1997, 2000
  • German DEL – Leading Point Scorer: 1995

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1986–87 TJ Lokomotiva Šumperk TCH U20 30 26 29 55 49 — — — — —
1987–88 TJ DS Olomouc TCH U20 39 45 37 82 46 — — — — —
1987–88 TJ DS Olomouc TCH.2 5 0 — — — — — — — —
1988–89 TJ DS Olomouc TCH.2 39 16 — — — — — — — —
1989–90 ASD Dukla Jihlava TCH 5 1 2 3 0 — — — — —
1989–90 HC VS VTJ Tábor TCH.2 38 18 19 37 — — — — — —
1990–91 TJ DS Olomouc TCH 42 11 13 24 26 — — — — —
1991–92 TJ DS Olomouc TCH 38 22 19 41 28 3 1 4 5 —
1992–93 HC Olomouc TCH 28 12 17 29 16 — — — — —
1992–93 Eisbären Berlin GER 11 7 8 15 49 — — — — —
1993–94 Eisbären Berlin GER 42 23 21 44 52 4 4 4 8 8
1993–94 HC Olomouc ELH — — — — — 12 5 7 12 14
1994–95 Eisbären Berlin DEL 42 28 40 68 55 — — — — —
1995–96 HC Petra Vsetín ELH 38 19 21 40 20 13 9 10 19 10
1996–97 HC Petra Vsetín ELH 51 30 31 61 58 10 7 4 11 12
1997–98 HC Petra Vsetín ELH 50 21 33 54 60 10 12 6 18 4
1998–99 HC Slovnaft Vsetín ELH 49 19 30 49 43 12 1 6 7 6
1999–00 HC Slovnaft Vsetín ELH 49 30 29 59 85 9 0 4 4 6
2000–01 HC Slovnaft Vsetín ELH 46 19 31 50 53 14 8 13 21 18
2001–02 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 52 11 16 27 8 — — — — —
2002–03 Edmonton Oilers NHL 21 1 5 6 11 — — — — —
2002–03 HC Olomouc CZE.3 — — — — — — — — — —
2003–04 HC Moeller Pardubice ELH 47 20 28 48 44 7 1 9 10 4
2004–05 HC Moeller Pardubice ELH 44 4 23 27 12 16 2 3 5 18
2005–06 HC JME Znojemští Orli ELH 43 9 14 23 26 11 4 4 8 4
2006–07 HC Znojemští Orli ELH 48 14 14 28 62 10 2 2 4 26
2007–08 HC Znojemští Orli ELH 42 14 16 30 18 3 0 1 1 2
2008–09 HC Znojemští Orli ELH 40 10 21 31 8 — — — — —
2009–10 HC Kometa Brno ELH 51 20 21 41 10 — — — — —
2010–11 HC Kometa Brno ELH 26 3 4 7 0 — — — — —
2011–12 HC Olomouc CZE.2 32 8 14 22 22 14 1 5 6 12
2012–13 HC Olomouc CZE.2 7 1 3 4 2 4 0 1 1 4
TCH totals 113 46 51 97 60 3 1 4 5 —
ELH totals 624 232 316 548 517 127 51 69 120 124
NHL totals 73 12 21 33 19 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1994 Czech Republic WC 3 1 0 1 0
1995 Czech Republic WC 8 1 1 2 4
1996 Czech Republic WC 6 1 2 3 2
1996 Czech Republic WCH 2 1 0 1 2
1997 Czech Republic WC 9 3 1 4 2
1998 Czech Republic OLY 6 1 2 3 0
1998 Czech Republic WC 8 3 1 4 6
2000 Czech Republic WC 9 4 7 11 16
2001 Czech Republic WC 9 2 1 3 4
2002 Czech Republic OLY 4 2 2 4 2
2004 Czech Republic WC 7 1 2 3 2
2004 Czech Republic WCH 5 0 1 1 0
Senior totals 76 20 20 40 40
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Awards
Preceded by Golden Hockey Stick
2001 		Succeeded by
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