Jaroslav Jirik was born on December 10, 1939 in Vojnuv Mestec, Czechoslovakia. He was an actor, known for Dakota Bound (2001) and 30 prípadu majora Zemana (1975). He died on July 11, 2011 in near Brno, Czech Republic.
He returned to Czechoslovakia where he coached several clubs in Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
He played for the National Hockey League for St. Louis Blues hockey league in the 1969-1970 season. He was the first Eastern-bloc player and the only second European trained player in the league.
He was piloting a small plane when it crashed and killed him near Brno, Czech Republic.
He was a member of the Czechoslovakia National Hockeyt Team where he scored 83 goals in 134 games. His team was awarded the Olympic Bronze Medal in 1964 and the Olympic Silver Medal in 1968.