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Ivan Boldirev
Ivan Boldirev
	Boldirev with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1974
Born	August 15, 1949 (age 75); Zrenjanin, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins; California Golden Seals; Chicago Black Hawks; Atlanta Flames; Vancouver Canucks; Detroit Red Wings
NHL draft	11th overall, 1969; Boston Bruins
Playing career	1969–1985

Ivan Boldirev (Serbian Cyrillic: Иван Болдирев; born August 15, 1949) is a Yugoslavian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Boldirev played 15 seasons and over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1970 through 1985. He featured in the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals with the Vancouver Canucks. Boldirev was noted during his career as one of the sport's best stickhandlers.

Amateur career

Born in Zrenjanin, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), Boldirev's family emigrated to Canada when he was two. Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he was known as a shy child. Boldirev felt that his shyness "probably goes back to when I first came over to Canada and didn't speak any English. My first grade teacher sent a note home telling my parents that we should speak English at home, but they didn't speak it so they couldn't even read the note!".^[1]

Boldirev started playing junior hockey as kid, initially joining his hometown Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League before moving to the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association in 1967-68.

He was the first choice (11th overall) of the Boston Bruins in the 1969 NHL amateur draft after two stellar seasons with the Generals.

Professional career

Boldirev turned pro in 1969 and spent his entire first season with Boston's CHL affiliate in Oklahoma City. Boldirev was called up to Boston as a spare player for the 1970 NHL playoffs, but he didn't play a game as Boston romped to their first championship since 1941. However, in a quirk of history, he managed to get his name engraved on the Stanley Cup before he dressed for his first NHL game--the only forward or defencemen ever to do so. After the 1969-70 season, the NHL tightened its policy so that players must have participated in a playoff game to have their names engraved on the Cup.

Boldirev was back in Oklahoma City for the 1970–71, although he received his first NHL action with a two-game callup to the Bruins. During this period, Boston was one of the best, deepest squad in the NHL, and for a young player to crack their roster was a formidable task. Boldirev was in a group of players (Reggie Leach and Rick MacLeish, each of whom would star for Flyers later in the decade, were others) who were good enough to play for many NHL squads but were instead stuck in Boston's system, and would need a trade to get the opportunity they needed.

Boldirev started the 1971–72 as a depth player in Boston, but received his big break partway into the season when he was dealt to the hapless California Golden Seals. On the talent-starved Seals, Boldirev received the chance he needed and blossomed into a solid NHL player, finishing fourth on the team with 16 goals and 41 points. By 1973–74, he finished second on the Seals with 25 goals and 56 points.

In 1974, Boldirev was dealt to the Chicago Black Hawks, where he would go on to the most productive phase of his career. He immediately established himself as one of the team's top players, posting 24 goals and 67 points in 1974–75. He posted 60+ points in each of his five seasons in Chicago, and by the late 1970s had replaced Stan Mikita as the team's top offensive player. He led the Black Hawks in goals, assists, and points in 1976–77 and 1977–78, and was selected to play in the 1978 NHL All-Star Game.

Boldirev was leading the Black Hawks in scoring again in 1978–79 when he was dealt to the Atlanta Flames late in the season in a huge nine–player trade. He contributed 14 points in 13 games after joining the Flames, but his stay in Atlanta would last less than a year before he was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks. Darcy Rota was moved along with Boldirev in both trades, and the two would be teammates (and frequently linemates) for nearly a decade with three different organizations.

After joining the Canucks, Boldirev went on a goal scoring binge to close out the 1979–80 season with 16 goals in 27 games. In Vancouver, he continued to be a consistent productive performer, and continued to dazzle fans with his elegant, effort displays of stickhandling. He was a standout performer in Vancouver's run to the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals, scoring eight goals in 17 games after a 73-point regular season.

Boldirev's production dropped off in the 1982–83 season, as he registered just five goals and 25 points in his first 39 games. Thinking Boldirev (now in his mid-thirties) was in decline, the Canucks sent him to the Detroit Red Wings for journeyman forward Mark Kirton. Boldirev proceeded to undergo a resurgence in Detroit, scoring 13 goals and 30 points in just 33 games with the Wings. In 1983–84, he had the most productive season of his career, matching his career high of 35 goals and setting a career high of 83 points. Boldirev combined with rookie Steve Yzerman to form an excellent one-two punch down the middle, and helped Detroit back to the playoffs for the first time since 1978.

In 1984–85, Boldirev played in his 1000th NHL game and notched his 500th assist, but his production waned as he failed to notch 50 points for the first time since 1973. He retired at the end of the season with career totals of 361 goals and 505 assists for 866 points in 1052 NHL games. He currently does periodic work on behalf of the Blackhawk Alumni Association.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1967–68	Oshawa Generals	OHA	50	18	26	44	76	—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Oshawa Generals	OHA	54	25	34	59	101	—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Oklahoma City Blazers	CHL	65	18	49	67	114	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Boston Bruins	NHL	2	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Oklahoma City Blazers	CHL	68	19	52	71	98	5	1	4	5	9
1971–72	Boston Bruins	NHL	11	0	2	2	6	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	California Golden Seals	NHL	57	16	23	39	54	—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	California Golden Seals	NHL	56	11	23	34	58	—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	California Golden Seals	NHL	77	25	31	56	22	—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL	80	24	43	67	54	8	4	2	6	2
1975–76	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL	78	28	34	62	33	4	0	1	1	0
1976–77	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL	80	24	38	62	40	2	0	1	1	0
1977–78	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL	80	35	45	80	34	4	0	2	2	2
1978–79	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL	66	29	35	64	25	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Atlanta Flames	NHL	13	6	8	14	6	2	0	2	2	2
1979–80	Atlanta Flames	NHL	52	16	24	40	20	—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	27	16	11	27	14	4	0	2	2	0
1980–81	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	72	26	33	59	34	1	1	1	2	0
1981–82	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	78	33	40	73	45	17	8	3	11	4
1982–83	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	39	5	20	25	12	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	33	13	17	30	14	—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	75	35	48	83	20	4	0	5	5	4
1984–85	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	75	19	30	49	16	2	0	1	1	0
NHL totals			1,052	361	505	866	507	48	13	20	33	14

Awards and accomplishments

Played in NHL-All Star game 1978
OHL Second All-Star Team, 1969

References

^ Kurzberg, Brad (2006). Shorthanded: The Untold Story of the Seals: Hockey's Most Colorful Team. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. p. 175. ISBN 1-42591-028-9.