Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Winter 2014
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/25/2014
The late Ivan Hlinka was an artist beyond the hockey rink as evidenced by this pair of his original paintings.
One of most celebrated figures in Czech hockey history, Hlinka was a member of three Czechoslovakian world champion teams during the 1970s. He also claimed five IIHF world championship silver medals and a pair of bronze medals, as well as Olympic bronze in Sapporo in 1972 and Olympic silver four years later in Innsbruck. Hlinka was a key member of the Czechoslovakian team that made it to the final of the 1976 Canada Cup. Named the captain of the national team the following year he went on to play with the Vancouver Canucks in 1981 paving the way for his countrymen to play in the NHL.
After recording 123 points in 137 games in his two seasons with the Canucks, Hlinka returned to Europe to play in Switzerland before finishing out his playing career at home in Czechoslovakia. These two Hlinka framed oil paintings on canvas date from the end of his playing days and the outset of his coaching career. Both of these originals are signed “Hlivan” and dated by the Czech hockey legend.
The smaller of the two is a profile portrait of a tear rolling down a child’s cheek. Painted on a 13 3/4" x 9 3/4" canvas, it is signed and dated “86” by Hlinka. The painting is mounted in a 15 1/2" x 11 1/2" gold-colored wood frame. There is black marker writing printed in block letters in Czech on the cardboard backing behind the back of the painting that reads, “To Vladka and Ivan, I wish you that your children will never cry, from Dad Ivan (Hlivan) and Grandma Libena. To commemorate the birth of Michala, Litvinov 22.06 2001 (Friday morning)”.
The larger oil painting on canvas of a woman in a hat and shawl displays to a size of just over 23” x 15” and is signed “Hlivan” and dated “89” by Hlinka. It is mounted in a 25” x 17” wood frame. Both paintings were obtained directly from the Hlinka family.
Hlinka coached Czechoslovakia to an Olympic bronze medal in 1992 in Albertville and also won three bronzes at the world championships behind the bench. The highlight of his hockey career came in 1998, when he coached the Czech Republic team that won the Olympic gold medal in Nagano. He followed that up with a gold medal at the 1999 world championships, then went on to become the second European to coach in the NHL. He guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Eastern Conference final in 2000-01, the season Mario Lemieux came out of retirement, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2002. Hlinka was in line to coach the Czech national team once again when he was killed in a car accident on August 16, 2004.
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