The Slovak hockey players did not defend their bronze medals from Beijing four years ago at the 2026 Olympics, but their 4th place was the biggest success of our expedition. After the Olympics, there were rumors that this result was even more valuable than the metal from the capital of China, because after many years the tournament was also played with the participation of players from the NHL, but does not reflect the reality in Slovak hockey. A Czech ex-hockey player also commented on this topic for the portal Jiří Hrdina (68).
The former Calgary Flames or Pittsburgh Penguins player did not expect any great miracles from the Czech or Slovak team, but added in one breath that The Slovaks got this far only thanks to a coincidence.
“They beat the unprepared Finns, who had an entire team from the NHL and came a few days before the Olympics. Then Slovakia struggled with Italy and lost to the Swedes. Thanks to a coincidence, it advanced straight to the quarter-finals and defeated the Germans. Then the quality of the other teams showed, but the Slovaks were a nice surprise, the whole country lived because of it.” the three-time Stanley Cup winner said and continued.
“It’s a one-game tournament, just like the World Cup. Today, when someone — other than Canada and the U.S. — gets past the quarterfinals, it’s usually considered a success. Generally speaking, neither do we (Czech Republic, editor’s note)not even Slovakia is in the top four. We are in second place with Switzerland, although the Slovaks are perhaps still a bit behind us,” he thinks.
Jiří Hrdina is one of the most successful Czech hockey players of his generation, who has made an indelible mark in the history of domestic and world hockey. He started his stellar career in the Czechoslovak league, where for many years he was one of the mainstays of Sparta Prague.
On the international stage, he was a solid part of the national team, with which he won the gold medal at the home world championships in Prague (1985) and the valuable silver at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo (1984). His stable and above-standard performances eventually opened the door for him to the overseas NHL, where he headed only at the threshold of his thirties, but his contribution was all the more striking.
In the Canadian-American professional league, he reached the absolute peak, when he was able to lift the famous Stanley Cup over his head three times. He recorded his first triumph in 1989 in the Calgary Flames jersey, making him one of the pioneers among Czechoslovak players. He added two more rings in 1991 and 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With the “penguins”, he played not only an important playing role, but also an invaluable mentoring role – he took the young Jágr under his wing, and greatly facilitated his adaptation to overseas hockey and life. After hanging up his skates, he stayed with his beloved sport and has been working for decades as a recognized European scout for NHL clubs, currently for the Dallas Stars.
