Jiří Dopita

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Centre
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 4
weight_lb = 227
team = Znojemsti Excalibur Orli
league = CZE
nationality = Czech Republic
birth_date = Birth date and age|1968|12|2|mf=y
birth_place = Sumperk, CZE
career_start = 1990
draft = 133rd overall, 1992
Boston Bruins
123rd overall
draft_year = 1998
draft_team = New York Islanders
former_teams = Olomouc HC (CSSR)
Berlin Polar Bears {DEL)
Vsetin HC (CZE)
Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Edmonton Oilers (NHL)
Pardubice HC (CZE)


image_size =
nickname = Dopey

Jiří Dopita (IPA2|'jɪr̝i: 'dopɪta, born December 2, 1968 in Šumperk, Czechoslovakia) is Czech professional ice hockey player who has played in the Czech Elite League most of his career. He briefly played in the National Hockey League. Dopita has primarily played centre throughout his career.

Playing career

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 the Berlin Polar Bears, 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 Vsetín HC 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 by the New York Islanders. However, once again, Dopita would not play with the Islanders.

By the late 1990s, some 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 his NHL rights were moved to the Philadelphia Flyers, 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 prior to 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 was to be disappointing. He recorded respectable totals getting limited ice time with Philadelphia, 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 Pardubice HC. 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 Olomouc HC. For 2005–06, Dopita joined HC JME Znojemští Orli and has remained with the team for 2006–07 season too.

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

Awards & Achievements

* 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, 2000
* Czech Extraliga - Play-Off MVP: 1994, 1996, 2001
* Czech Extraliga - Leading Goal Scorer: 1997, 2000
* German DEL - Leading Point Scorer: 1995

Records

Career statistics

International play

International statistics

External links

*hockeydb|43527
* [http://www.hcorli.cz/hrac.asp?id=119&sezona=2009 Jiří Dopita's profile] at HC Znojemští Orli webpage

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