Jan Hrdina

Jan Hrdina (born February 5, 1976) is a retired Czech professional ice hockey player.

Playing career
Hrdina was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in the 5th round, 128th overall.

In March 2003, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Hrdina and François Leroux to the Phoenix Coyotes for Ramzi Abid, Dan Focht and Guillaume Lefebvre. One year later, March 2004, the Phoenix Coyotes traded him to the New Jersey Devils for Michael Rupp and a second-round draft pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

On August 28, 2006, Hrdina signed a six-month contract with the Swedish elite club HV71 in Elitserien. He joined the club on October 18, 2006, due to some Swedish tax laws concerning the specific type of contract signed. Before that he started the season 2006–07 playing for HIFK in the Finnish SM-liiga. After the season he extended the contract for another two years.

Hrdina played three games with Swedish Elitserien club HV71 during the 2008-09 season. Because of an ongoing hip problem, Hrdina returned to the United States to have surgery.

In an interview from July 2011, Hrdina commented that was retired from professional hockey due to two hip surgeries on the same hip, which put loads of pressure on his leg when skating. Aside from the hip surgery, Hrdina has also admitted that he had problems with his groin and back over the previous five or six years. Since his retirement, Hrdina has returned to his hometown of Hradec Kralove where he is a member of the Czech Extraliga board.

Awards

 * Swedish Champion with HV71 in 2008.

Career statistics
Statistics as of February 2, 2010.

International play
Hrdina has played for Czech Republic in the following competitions:


 * 1994 European Junior Championships
 * 1995 World Junior Championships
 * 2002 Winter Olympics
 * 2002 World Championships

International statistics
Statistics as of January 14, 2007.

==Salary Information ==