According to former hockey representative Ladislav Nagy Slovaks have what it takes to reach the finals at the 2026 Olympics. The former successful striker saw with his own eyes their quarter-final match against Germany (6:2) and after that he became convinced that they could get into the fight for the gold.
The former representative mainstay came to the Olympic Games venue with her son. Both were looking forward to the victory, which secured the Slovaks participation among the best four of the tournament. “The boys deserved it. They started the Olympics with a victory over the Finns, then they also defeated the Italians in a competitive match. They also managed a duel with the Swedes and deservedly won over Germany. They didn’t give the Germans anything, they didn’t have that many chances. On the contrary, the Slovaks played well for the entire 60 minutes, defending the midfield well. It’s a great achievement. We can easily go for gold. I wish them the best, and it would be incredible if we reached the final,” Nagy told TASR.
It was in the match against Germany that Nagy also played in the home championship in 2019, after which he ended his national team career. At that time, the Germans defeated the Slovaks 3:2 with a goal by Leon Draisaitl and thus stopped their hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals.
“I remember that match. We messed it up ourselves, because a minute and a half before the end we were leading 2:1 and suddenly in 30 seconds it was 2:3. At that time we had a well played tournament, the whole team played well and it’s a shame that it didn’t work out. But now we have returned it to the Germans with interest, so I’m happy for the guys. They are playing a perfect tournament and it is not over yet. And I said even before the tournament that you can play with everyone, even if there are stars from the NHL. The match starts from 0:0 and everyone can be beaten. If the defense plays well, the goalkeeper catches well, then we will score some goals. We can easily move on and there is no need to worry about it. You have to go after your goal. And if we are already playing for medals, then why don’t go to the final. I hope it works out for the guys.’
The German hockey players had four games in five days, striker Dominik Kahun told TASR before the game that they could use it for a better start to the game. But the rested Slovaks finally had more strength.
“I watched the Germans and I will say that Draisaitl can’t have 28 minutes every game. It’s a lot of games and they’re crowded. I know it myself. I played 27 minutes in the NHL once and the next day I couldn’t stand up. It’s a lot for a forward. He can feel it in his legs. Stützle also had a lot of time on the ice, they played it in two formations and those guys were drained and not in control. If they played 20 minutes every match, so I think the Germans would be much more unpleasant.” Nagy thinks.
Today, the 46-year-old former forward also has a high-quality career in the NHL. He got into it in 1997, when he was drafted by St. Louis. After the Olympics, the way to overseas would also be open for some of Vladimír Országh’s wards. Some have already tried it there, such as Oliver Okuliar or Miloš Kelemen, but they returned to Europe. Goalkeeper Samuel Hlavaj is also on the brink between AHL and NHL. However, after the tournament, other interested parties could start to “hang around” around them again.
“Certainly yes. Kelemen played excellently against the Germans, as did Regenda. I also liked Okuliar, it plays perfectly. Kelemen was in Phoenix, I was there when they played. An opportunity will surely come and when they get an offer, they will go and try it. Everyone wants to play in the NHL, everyone wants to get there. The best players in the world are there and it is certainly good that Slovak hockey has shown itself again. I hope more of our younger players will be watched overseas and more of them will be drafted. Because when I played there, we had 40 players in the NHL. Now it is much less. So it would help our hockey,” Dodal Nagy.
At the Olympics, he also saw the duel between Canada, which has Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, the most productive players in the NHL this season, as well as another generational talent, Macklin Celebrini.
“McDavid played here in Milan first with Celebrini and Wilson, then the coach put McKinnon on one substitution and left it at that. It’s incredible how they pass. It’s different from how we Europeans pass, this is the beauty of watching them. I played against MacKinnon, he’s like a tank, it’s hard to take the puck. And McDavid is a player from another planet. I don’t know what to say, he’s incredible. But I liked them too The Americans, I saw their match against Latvia. I don’t know if the overseas teams will meet each other, but it would be an interesting duel. They both have quality, each player is strong on the puck and the passes they make are bombs.” concluded Nagy for TASR.
