Slovakia men's national ice hockey team
 | |
| Association | Slovak Ice Hockey Federation |
|---|---|
| General Manager | Róbert Švehla |
| Head coach | Zdeno Cíger |
| Assistants |
Ernest Bokroš Miroslav Miklošovič |
| Captain | Andrej Sekera |
| Most games | Miroslav Šatan (175)1 |
| Top scorer | Miroslav Šatan (85)1 |
| Most points | Miroslav Šatan (162)1 |
| Home stadium | Zimný Štadión Ondreja Nepelu |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | SVK |
 | |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF |
8  |
| Highest IIHF | 3 (2004) |
| Lowest IIHF | 10 (2011) |
| First international | |
 Bohemia 12–0  Slovakia(Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 1 February 1940)2 | |
| Biggest win | |
 Slovakia 20–0 Bulgaria  (Poprad, Slovakia; 18 March 1994)2 | |
| Biggest defeat | |
|
Bohemia 12–0 Slovakia (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 1 February 1940)2 | |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 20 (first in 1994) |
| Best result |
 Gold(2002) |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1994) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 285-233-49 | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2002 Sweden | |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2000 Russia | |
| | 2012 Finland/Sweden | |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2003 Finland | |
The Slovak men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Slovakia and is controlled by the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. As of March 2010, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the world governing body of hockey, ranks them as the seventh strongest national team in the world. It is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world. The team's general manager is Róbert Švehla and their head coach is Zdeno Cíger.
In the last sixteen years, Slovakia has won four medals at the World Championships, including a gold medal in 2002 in Sweden. In winter Olympic games, Slovakia's highest achievement is 4th place in Vancouver 2010. In the tournament they won against favourites Russia and Sweden, and lost against Canada in the semifinals and against Finland in the bronze medal game.
History
The Slovak national team was formed following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, as the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. For years, the Czechs kept control over how the national team was run, and even had quotas instituted to ensure a minimal participation of Slovak players on the Czechoslovak national team. While the Czechs were allowed to compete at the highest pool (A), the IIHF ruled that because fewer players of the former Czechoslovak team were Slovaks, Slovakia would be required to start international play in Pool C. However, Slovakia's play in the lower pools won it promotion to pool A by 1996. See also Post-Cold War period of the IIHF world championships.
In the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Slovak team was unable to use its National Hockey League (NHL) players in the preliminary round due to a scheduling conflict. This affected all of the smaller countries, but devastated the Slovak team as most of their players were coming from NHL teams. The NHL had decided to only allow their players to participate in the final medal round, and thus Slovakia failed to qualify, finishing a disappointing 13th. This turn of events was troubling to the entire hockey community, and the rules were changed for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
Slovak national team members and notable players include Marián Gáborík of the Los Angeles Kings; Marián Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks; Marcel Hossa; Miroslav Šatan; star goaltender of the New York Islanders Jaroslav Halák and the tallest player in NHL history, Zdeno Chára. In the late 1990s, the St. Louis Blues placed Ľuboš Bartečko, Michal Handzuš, and Pavol Demitra on the same line. This trio became known as the "Slovak Pack," and were able to communicate in their native language without the opposition knowing what they were saying, unless, of course, they also understood Slovak.
Following the successful years for the Slovaks in the early 2000s at the World Championship, when they won the silver in St. Petersburg at the 2000 edition after a loss to the Czechs, winning the (so far) only title in Goteburg at the 2002 edition and securing bronze in Helsinki (2003), the results of Slovak national team worsened and Slovakia began to drop out in the quarterfinals. The closest Slovakia came to a relegation into Division I was in 2008, when they avoided relegation only thanks to two victories over Slovenia in the Relegation Round. Following was a series of three subsequent eliminations in the Qualifying Round (Round of 12), including one at a 2011 edition Slovakia hosted in Bratislava and Košice for the first time, since dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
Largely unexpected however, was Slovak silver medal in the 2012 edition, again won in Helsinki. This was the first tournament after the introduction of the new two group format, followed by the quarterfinals. Due to the surprise this medal was after number of unsuccessful tournaments, it was by many regarded as with a value of a triumphal gold. In the following years however, Slovakia again failed to repeat medal successes and even failed to qualify to the quarterfinals, with the exception of 2013.
Tournament record
Olympic Games
| Games | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Roster | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920–1992 | Part of Czechoslovakia | ||||||||||||
 1994 Lillehammer |
8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 29 | Július Šupler | Peter Šťastný | 6th | ||
 1998 Nagano |
4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 13 | Ján Šterbák | Zdeno Cíger | 10th | ||
 2002 Salt Lake City |
4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 13 | Ján Filc | Miroslav Šatan | 13th | ||
 2006 Turin |
6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 11 | František Hossa | Pavol Demitra | roster | 5th | |
 2010 Vancouver |
7 | 3 | 1 | – | 0 | 3 | 22 | 18 | Ján Filc | Zdeno Chára | roster | 4th | |
 2014 Sochi |
4 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 3 | 5 | 16 |  Vladimír Vůjtek |
Zdeno Chára | roster | 11th | |
World Championship
Lower divisions
| Division | Championship | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 1994 Poprad, Spišská Nová Ves |
6 | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 43 | 3 | Július Šupler | Oto Haščák | Winner, Promoted | 1st |
| B | 1995 Bratislava |
7 | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 60 | 15 | Július Šupler | Peter Šťastný | Winner, Promoted | 1st |
Top division
World Cup
| Year | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | 9 | 19 | Július Šupler | Round 1 | 7th | |
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | Ján Filc | Quarter-finals | 8th |
Team
Current roster
Roster for 2016 IIHF World Championship.[1]
Head coach: Zdeno Cíger
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | D | Sekera, AndrejAndrej Sekera – C | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) | 8 June 1986 | Edmonton Oilers |
| 8 | D | Sersen, MichalMichal Sersen – A | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) | 28 December 1985 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 10 | F | Réway, MartinMartin Réway – A | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 24 January 1995 |  HC Fribourg-Gottéron |
| 13 | F | Jurčo, TomášTomáš Jurčo | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 28 December 1992 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 14 | D | Meszároš, AndrejAndrej Meszároš | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 13 October 1985 | Sibir Novosibirsk |
| 15 | D | Švarný, IvanIvan Švarný | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 31 October 1984 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 21 | F | Cehlárik, PeterPeter Cehlárik | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 91 kg (201 lb) | 2 August 1995 |  Luleå HF |
| 22 | F | Dravecký, VladimírVladimír Dravecký | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 90 kg (200 lb) | 3 June 1985 | HC Oceláři Třinec |
| 25 | F | Viedenský, MarekMarek Viedenský | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 18 August 1990 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 26 | D | Mikuš, JurajJuraj Mikuš | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 30 November 1988 | HC Sparta Praha |
| 28 | F | Skalický, PavolPavol Skalický | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) | 9 October 1995 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 30 | G | Baroš, SamuelSamuel Baroš | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 10 February 1994 | HKm Zvolen |
| 33 | G | Hudáček, JúliusJúlius Hudáček | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | 9 August 1988 | Örebro HK |
| 41 | F | Lušňák, PatrikPatrik Lušňák | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 6 November 1988 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 42 | G | Konrád, BranislavBranislav Konrád | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 10 October 1987 | HC Olomouc |
| 51 | D | Graňák, DominikDominik Graňák | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) | 11 June 1983 | Rögle BK |
| 52 | D | Marinčin, MartinMartin Marinčin | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 18 February 1992 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 56 | F | Daňo, MarkoMarko Daňo | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 90 kg (200 lb) | 30 November 1994 | Winnipeg Jets |
| 59 | F | Šťastný, AndrejAndrej Šťastný | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 24 January 1991 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 61 | F | Bartánus, MarekMarek Bartánus | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 13 February 1987 | HC Košice |
| 62 | D | Jaroš, ChristiánChristián Jaroš | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) | 2 April 1996 | Luleå HF |
| 65 | F | Marcinko, TomášTomáš Marcinko | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 97 kg (214 lb) | 11 April 1988 | HC Pardubice |
| 79 | F | Hudáček, LiborLibor Hudáček | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 7 September 1990 | Örebro HK |
| 80 | F | Hrnka, TomášTomáš Hrnka | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 97 kg (214 lb) | 11 November 1991 | HC Košice |
| 83 | F | Bakoš, MartinMartin Bakoš | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 90 kg (200 lb) | 18 April 1990 | HC Bílí Tygři Liberec |
2002 World Championship: Gold winning roster
Goalies
Defensemen |
Forwards |
2012 World Championship
GoaliesDefensemen |
Forwards |
Player statistics
- As of 12 May 2015
Players in bold are still active.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; GPG = Goal per game;
|
|
Head coaches
This table shows all Slovakia national team head coaches and their record at the IIHF World Championships, World Cup of Hockey and Winter Olympic Games.
Source:[2]
| Name | Years | G | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Július Šupler | 1993–1996 | 29 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 160 | 92 | .552 |
| Jozef Golonka | 1996–1997 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 23 | .375 |
| Ján Šterbák | 1997–1999 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 46 | .313 |
| Ján Filc | 1999–2002 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 106 | 75 | .552 |
| František Hossa | 2002–2006 | 38 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 133 | 68 | .632 |
| Ján Filc[note 1] | 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | .000 |
| Július Šupler | 2006–2008 | 12 | 5 | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | 42 | 35 | .417 |
| Ján Filc | 2008–2010 | 13 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | 5 | 34 | 42 | .308 |
| Glen Hanlon | 2010–2011 | 12 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | 29 | 34 | .333 |
| Vladimír Vůjtek | 2011–2015 | 36 | 14 | 2 | – | 5 | 15 | 94 | 99 | .389 |
| Zdeno Cíger | 2015–present | 7 | 2 | 1 | – | 0 | 4 | 15 | 23 | .286 |
- Notes
- ↑ Managed the team during 2004 World Cup of Hockey
As of after the 2015 World Championship.
Retired numbers
- 38 – Pavol Demitra The legend of the national team and a victim of the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster - retired from the national team at the Slovak-hosted World Championship that year.
All-time record
The following table shows Slovakia's international record from 1940 – 1945 and since 1993, correct as of 22 May 2016. Teams in italics are no longer actively competing.
Source:[3]
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria | 29 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 123 | 50 | +73 |
 Belarus | 29 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 79 | 53 | +26 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | +20 |
| Canada | 50 | 22 | 4 | 24 | 157 | 147 | +10 |
 Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 |
| Czech Republic | 60 | 13 | 7 | 40 | 129 | 212 | −83 |
 Denmark | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 59 | 29 | +30 |
 Finland | 30 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 59 | 93 | −34 |
| Finland olympic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
 France | 23 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 108 | 43 | +65 |
 Germany | 50 | 27 | 1 | 22 | 127 | 119 | +8 |
 Great Britain | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 | +10 |
 Hungary | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 19 | +32 |
| Italy | 17 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 72 | 41 | +31 |
| Japan | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 12 | +27 |
 Kazakhstan | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 15 | +27 |
 Latvia | 25 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 84 | 57 | +27 |
 Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | +20 |
| Norway | 27 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 105 | 54 | +51 |
 Poland | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 10 | +26 |
 Romania | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 3 | +36 |
| Russia | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 79 | 91 | −12 |
 Slovenia | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 18 | +24 |
| Switzerland | 60 | 25 | 7 | 28 | 146 | 134 | +12 |
| Sweden | 33 | 10 | 3 | 20 | 75 | 102 | −27 |
 Ukraine | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 18 | +31 |
| United States | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 56 | 75 | −19 |
| Russia B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 9 | −1 |
| Sweden Vikings | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 |
| Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | −12 |
 Wiener EG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
| Switzerland B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 |
 Bucharest | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Total | 567 | 285 | 49 | 233 | 1841 | 1440 | +401 |
- Overtime and penalty shots victories and losses are counted towards wins/losses.
See also
References
- ↑ 2016 roster
- ↑ "Slovenských hokejistov povedie Čech Vladimír Vůjtek" (in Slovak). 17 August 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ↑ "SLOVENSKO verzus SVET" (in Slovak). SZLH. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.