Arturs Irbe
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Artūrs Irbe (born February 2, 1967 in Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian ice hockey goaltender, currently with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL.
His first professional hockey team was Dynamo Riga of the Soviet League (from 1987 to 1991). During this period, he also played for the Soviet Union in the World Championships in 1989 and 1990. The Soviet team won those two championships and Irbe was honoured as the best goalkeeper of the 1990 tournament. He refused to play for the Soviet Union in 1991, because Latvia had proclaimed independence from the Soviet Union in May 4, 1990 and the Soviet government attempted to use military force in January 1991 to stop Latvia's independence. After Latvia's independence was recognized during August - September, 1991, Irbe played for Latvia in many World Championships and the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Artūrs Irbe was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL in 1989 (196th pick in 10th round) and began playing in the NHL in 1991. His first NHL team was the San Jose Sharks, from 1991 to 1996. With Irbe in goal, the newly established Sharks made its first playoff appearance in the 1993/1994 season and upset the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings.
Following an injury (his hand being mauled by his pet dog in the offseason) and a poor 1995/1996 season, Irbe was released by the Sharks. For the next two years, he was a backup goaltender for the Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks, until becoming the starter for the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1998/1999. The highest point of his career with Hurricanes was 2001/2002 when the Hurricanes unexpectedly reached the Stanley Cup finals. In June 2004, he was traded to Columbus Blue Jackets.
Achievements
- 1985- European Junior Championships, best goalie
- 1988- Soviet League, rookie of the year
- 1990- World Championships, best goalie
- 1994- Played in NHL All-Star Game
- 1999- Played in NHL All-Star Game
External links
NHL player page (http://www.nhl.com/lineups/player/8456692.html)lv:Artūrs Irbe sv:Arturs Irbe