The Slovak hockey federation has described critical remarks made by Juraj Slafkovsky towards it as thoughtless.
In an interview with Arpon Basu of The Athletic, Slafkovsky questioned the way the federation operates.
The Canadiens forward painted a rather alarming portrait of Slovak hockey on a national scale. First, he believes that what Slovakia accomplished at the Beijing Winter Games in 2022 should be taken with a pinch of salt.
“There are things that will have to change for us to be successful again,” Slafkovsky said, as quoted by Basu. We won Olympic bronze in 2022 and now people are satisfied. But it was lucky, since there were no National League players. Let’s be honest, we would never have won this medal if all the countries had presented their complete training.
Slafkovsky also decried favoritism in the selection process among the under-16s and under-17s.
“In Slovakia, it’s the contacts that make the difference,” he lamented, “and everyone is afraid to talk about it. Do you think Marian Hossa or Marian Gaborik wants to work for the federation? No. The people in power want to do things their way because they benefit from it.”
The federation responded through a statement transmitted by Slovak media Šport.sk.
“We consider these opinions expressed by Juraj Slafkovsky to be thoughtless comments from a young player,” we can read. It must have been difficult for his national team teammates who won bronze with him, the coaches who chose him and the decision-makers who gave him the chance to advance in his career. We are convinced that there are many passionate players, coaches and experts working within our country.
“We believe that in the future, Juraj will communicate with the media with the sense of responsibility that comes from a leader of the national team.”
Slafkovsky represented Slovakia at the last IIHF World Hockey Championship, recording nine points, including one goal, in as many games. He did not wear the Slovak uniform during the qualifying tournament for the 2026 Olympic Games which was held from late August to early September, as he was recovering from back discomfort.
