Craig Ramsay has left a lasting mark on the Slovak men's national ice hockey team. (source: TASR)
To many, he resembled the charismatic Captain Picard from the sci-fi series Star Trek. When Craig Ramsay was appointed head coach of the Slovak national ice hockey team eight years ago, the decision was met with scepticism by some experts. But any doubts gradually faded.
Ramsay went on to lead the Slovak men's national team in a record 150 games — a milestone unlikely to be surpassed.
Last Tuesday, it was announced that the 74-year-old veteran would not be continuing in the role. He will be succeeded by Vladimír Országh, who stood in for Ramsay during the 2025 World Championship in Sweden and Denmark due to the latter’s health issues.
"Slovakia? Let’s Go!"
In the summer of 2017, Miroslav Šatan, General Manager of the Slovak national team, revealed the new head coach. Upon hearing the name, many fans asked: “Who on earth is Craig Ramsay?”
A native of Weston, Ontario, Ramsay played in 1,070 NHL games and later moved into coaching. As an assistant coach, he won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004. Yet in Slovakia, he was still a relatively unknown figure.
“I remember when Miro Šatan called and offered me the job of coaching the Slovak national team. The call lasted about 45 minutes — I was shocked. At the time, I was enjoying retirement in Florida, playing golf and thinking my hockey days were behind me,” he said in an interview with Joj Šport television.
“We were at my brother-in-law’s, and he was the only one I told about the call. Miro was supposed to ring back on Sunday to see if I’d accepted. Honestly, I thought I’d say no. But when I told my wife, she told her sister, who told other people, and then everyone started saying, ‘Let’s go!’” he recalled.
What awaited Ramsay in Slovakia was lovely weather and cheap beer. “What a great country,” he thought. However, reality hit soon after his arrival.
