Montreal Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky (l) and Toronto Maple Leafs' Marshall Rifai (r) fight during the second period of an NHL preseason hockey game in Montreal on Saturday, September 28, 2024. (source: TASR/AP)
Slovak hockey star Juraj Slafkovský, now entering his third NHL season with the Montreal Canadiens, made waves in Slovakia on October 8—not for his performance on the ice, but for a candid interview with The Athletic.
“I could say so much sh-t about Slovakia right now that I want to change,” he remarked, “but I won’t.”
The interview, conducted by Arpon Basu, followed a conversation Basu had with Slovak journalist Štefan Bugan of Denník N, a Slovak daily. Despite his initial reluctance, the 20-year-old forward did not hold back, criticising the intense media scrutiny he faces in Slovakia and voicing frustrations with the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation (SZĽH).
Children ringing the door bell
Slafkovský contrasted his life in Slovakia with his relative anonymity in Montreal.
“I do everything. In Montreal, I can go shopping. If I go grocery shopping back home, I probably take 25 pictures,” he said. “Here it’s more diverse, different types of people from different parts of the world, so not everyone knows you. In Slovakia, everyone knows you. The girl selling you groceries knows you, if you get a suit cleaned, they know you there too.”
While Slafkovský does not mind coverage of his hockey career, he expressed anger over media intrusion into his private life.
“I have kids ringing my doorbell every day in Slovakia. Everyone knows where I live because it was in the media,” he said, adding, “I’ve learned to live with it, but it just pisses me off inside.”
Despite Slovakia’s bronze medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Slafkovský—a talent not seen since the country won gold at the World Championships in 2002—also remains critical of the country’s hockey infrastructure and officials.
Slafkovský: Hockey federation needs changes
“The Slovak hockey federation, a couple of things must change there for us to be successful again,” he said. He called for better coaching and condemned nepotism within the system. “It’s all about connections in Slovakia,” he said, noting that he advanced purely through his own talent.
“There was no option for them because I actually knew how to play.”
On October 9, the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation has dismissed Slafkovský’s remarks as “the rash comments of a young player”. In a statement, the federation said, “We are convinced that Slovak hockey is built on the dedication of many passionate players, coaches, and experts in the country.” The federation added that it hopes Slafkovský will handle future media interactions with the responsibility expected of a national team leader.
The Slovak Ice Hockey Federation, led by former hockey star Miroslav Šatan, faced backlash this summer after allowing Slovak players from Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) to represent the national team, despite Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Šatan’s father, Emil, was a founding member of the far-right and pro-Russian Slovak National Party, which is now part of the governing coalition. The party also controls the Ministry of Sports and Tourism.
Complicating matters, a contract signed earlier this year between the government and SZĽH permits the federation to reimburse expenses related to KHL players on the national team—a move previously prohibited under the government of Eduard Heger (2022-2023).
The federation is managing a budget of €10 million this year, a contribution from the state that is allocated between the national team and hockey clubs.
Between 2018 and 2020, the Supreme Audit Office examined the funding of sports in Slovakia. Two years later, it released a report highlighting that government support for youth sports, including ice hockey, is inadequate.
