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1981
ENTRY DRAFT
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OTHER YEARS
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1981 NHL DRAFT PICK
Jiri Dudacek
Selected in first round
No. 17 overall by Buffalo Sabres

Born 1962
Position: Right Wing
Height: 5-9   Weight: 170
BEFORE THE DRAFT
Last Team: Kladno (Czechoslovakia)                  
Birthplace: Kladno, Czechoslovakia
Hometown: Kladno, Czech Republic
PRE-DRAFT STATISTICS
Year TeamLeague GPG ATP PIM
1977-78 KladnoCzech. -- ---- ----
1978-79 KladnoCzech. -- ---- ----
1979-80 KladnoCzech. ---- ---- --
1980-81 KladnoCzech. 4410 1828 --

PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
World Jr. Championships:
1980 (fourth place), 1981 (fourth place)
Czechoslovakian Championship: 1978, 1980 (Kladno)
Miscellaneous: Was widely considered best pro prospect, among all North American and European junior players, by NHL scouts in 1981.
NHL CAREER
Never played in NHL.
NON-NHL CAREER
Post-Draft Teams: Kladno, Jihlava (Czechoslovakia)
Canada Cup: 1981 (third place), 1984 (fifth place)
World Junior Championships: 1982 (silver medal)
NON-NHL AWARDS AND HONORS
Czechoslovakian Championship:
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 (Jihlava)
Miscellaneous: Was first Czechoslovakian/Czech Republic player ever selected in first round of an NHL draft. ... Was youngest player in Czechoslovakian history to play in Canada Cup when he competed in tournament as a 19-year-old in 1981. ... Tied for Czechoslovakia's scoring lead at 1981 Canada Cup with six points, scoring two goals in team's 4-4 tie with Canada on Sept. 5, 1981, at Winnipeg. ... Became active in Czech Republic Oldtimers' hockey after his retirement.
Stuck in Czechoslovakia: After drafting Dudacek in 1981, Buffalo was eager to bring him to North America. The Sabres, however, chose not to do what Quebec had done to get the Stastny brothers, because Buffalo ownership did not like the idea of arranging or being party to a defection from a Communist country. Instead of going the defection route, Buffalo general manager Scotty Bowman believed he could convince Czechoslovakian authorities to give up Dudacek in return for money. By 1986, Bowman claimed he had agreed to a deal with the Czechs and Dudacek's Kladno club team, but the Czechoslovakian sports minister vetoed the move because he said Dudacek was too young to leave the country, unlike some of the older Czech veterans who had been released to NHL teams during the early 1980s.
Personal: Son of a high-ranking Communist party member.

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SNAPSHOT '81
Total Selected: 211
Forwards: 119
Defense: 67
Goaltenders: 25
Major Junior: 122
Tier II/Jr. B: 10/4
College Players: 21
High School: 18
Canadian: 139
Euro-Canadian: 3
USA Citizens: 37
U.S.-Born: 36
European: 32
Reached NHL: 114
Stanley Cup: 17
Hall of Fame: 2
All-Star Game: 14
Year-end All-Star: 7
Olympians: 30
Picks Traded: 38
 
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