The Calgary Flames selected Hrdina with their eighth round selection, 159th overall, at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. However, due to a Czechoslovak policy at the time regarding national team players, he was not permitted to join a professional team until after the 1988 Winter Olympics. Hrdina joined the Flames at the Games' conclusion, and made his NHL debut, as a 30-year-old, on March 3, 1988. He recorded his first point, an assist, in that game, then scored his first NHL goal on March 15 against the Hartford Whalers. He appeared in nine games to end the 1987–88 season with Calgary and scored two goals and seven points.