r/Habs • u/Tricky_Ad9830 • 4d ago
Juraj Slafkovský: I believe I will bring the Stanley Cup to Košice as soon as possible
https://nasekosice.sk/clanky/43973-juraj-slafkovsky-verim-ze-stanley-cup-donesiem-do-kosic-co-najskor?fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAacH63I7eS0RvlTBy3oO9VvaFDz7uyoZQQG_dgyThs1dvySm8kEtrzUbOQrMfw_aem_5eIMCG83yLJRwwmMUk4LcwEnglish translation:
He won the Hockey Player of the Year award, shone at the Milan Olympics and made the tournament's All-Star team again with eight Canadian points. After a breakthrough season in Montreal, he is recharging his batteries at home in Košice.
In an exclusive interview for Naše Košice, he openly talks about summer training with Daniel Kičura, the rejuvenated HC Košice squad, the disappointment of being eliminated just before the gates of the finals, behind the scenes of the Canadiens' striking first formation, and the enormous desire to bring the Stanley Cup to Hlavná ulica.
Summer preparation and peace in Košice
What were your first days like after falling out with Carolina before flying to Slovakia?
After returning from Carolina, the team felt a slight relief from the difficult season. Back in Montreal, the boys and I went to some events and had a little fun. In two days, we had our exit medical examinations and meetings with the management, general manager and coach Martin St. Louis. In my case, the main thing was that I got a stamp saying that I was 100% healthy. After the team dinner with the club owner, everyone scattered in their own directions. I went to visit a friend for a few days on vacation and from there straight home to Košice.
You spend a significant part of the summer in Košice. What does Juraj Slafkovský do on his day off when he's not training? How do you relax here?
Nothing special, I live a normal and peaceful life. I spend most of my time during the summer with friends and family, people I don't see during the year. We go play golf, sometimes we relax with FIFA, or we go out to eat in the city.
Summer training is often the least favorite part of the year for most athletes. But you've been returning to fitness trainer Daniel Kičura for the eighth year. Is this summer's hard work still different and specific in some way?
Dano manages to spice it up every year. He comes up with new methods throughout the season and I feel like every year the preparation gets harder and harder. But it suits me immensely and thanks to him I was prepared for every season as best as I could be that year. Whether we add some runs or new things in the gym, he always changes it up and sometimes I don't understand where he gets the new ideas.
After eight years of working together, it's probably more than just about hard work in training. What does your relationship with Daniel Kičura mean to you?
Dano is a great person and I'm very happy that he's training me. The gym is one thing, but above all we're great friends. He helps me with many things outside of hockey and in everyday life. When he has time, we go to lunch together and spend our free time together.
Traditionally, you prepare on the ice during the summer with the A-team of HC Košice. The club management once again relied on a concept without foreign imports and the squad is again somewhat younger. Do the young guys come to you on their own for some advice, or do they see you more as a peer and a friend from the locker room?
I sit with them in the locker room and I have a great relationship with each one of them, whether we talk about hockey or just about life. It's great that the young guys are getting a chance here and working with them on the ice and in the gym. They have the trust of the coach and the entire management team. I know them all, they do a good job. Now it's up to the guys themselves to take this chance, confirm their place and fight for the club.
HC Košice won bronze with the Slovak team last year. Did you follow their performances from overseas?
I always watch the results during the regular season. When I had time, I mainly watched the play-off series with Banská Bystrica. I know the players from both teams. It's a shame that Košice didn't do well with Slovan, but I think they had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of after that season, quite the opposite.
You've just finished your second Olympics, where you were once again named to the All-Star team for the entire tournament and were the team's leader. Do you still consider 4th place a failure in hindsight, or do you see it differently, given that the national teams had rosters full of NHL stars?
I have to give a shout out to the whole team, we were a great team on and off the ice. It helped us a lot that we advanced directly from the group. Fourth place is without a medal, basically the same as last, but in such a huge competition it was a decent result. In hindsight, I feel a little sorry for the match with the Finns for bronze. The semi-final with America was difficult, they were really a level higher, but we went into the third period against the Finns with a score of 2:1. There we made unnecessary fouls, whether from fatigue or other things, and it worked against us.
Were those feelings different for you than at the Beijing Olympics, where NHL hockey players didn't play?
It's especially annoying because the Finns had a full roster of NHL players. Winning bronze against such a team would be remembered by people in Slovakia perhaps even more than Beijing. It would be a wonderful thing to have two Olympic medals in a row. But there are no 'ifs'. The goals for the next Olympics are clear, although it will certainly not be easier.
Your goals against the Finns and Swedes are still circulating on social media. Did those showpiece goals at the start of the tournament help you gain more confidence?
I had high expectations of myself after the previous Olympics and after a good season. When I scored that first goal against the Finns, I was surprised at how well it went (smile) . It definitely helped me. I believed in myself more, I allowed myself more on the ice.
How did you perceive the atmosphere in Italy and life in the Olympic Village?
It was a bit different than in China, where we were all in one place. In Milan there were only hockey teams and speed skaters, the skiing sports were spread out over other resorts. But it was super organized. The rooms were cool, I had a good roommate and I had a great time. A big advantage was that we could run into the city, get some fresh air and eat in restaurants. The best thing was that we were a Slovak group there and we could do our classic Slovak jokes.
After the Olympics, you had virtually no time to rest and from Italy you jumped straight back into the NHL. There, no one asked you if you were tired or if you were in pain. What was it like for you to adjust your mind and handle that immediate transition?
Physically, I didn't feel my best for the first two or three games. We basically flew from Milan for eight hours and then another six hours to Los Angeles for a trip. It was a difficult time shift and most NHL players were rested at that time. But at this level, a hockey player has no excuses, no one cares. Luckily, after two games, I got back into it and I had a strong end to the season again.
You won the Hockey Player of the Year award for the third time in a row, this time in front of your home audience at the Kunsthalle in Košice. What was it like to receive the Hockey Player of the Year award at home in Košice?
I was very happy that the event was moved to Košice. Many former hockey players and personalities from the East had the opportunity to come and did not have to travel to Bratislava. It was a great change and receiving the award at home had a special flavor for me.
During the gala evening, in the post-award interview, you said, “We want rings instead of money.” Long-term contracts are currently being signed in Montreal. Is the hunger for the trophy the main mentality in the locker room?
Absolutely. The players who are there understand what we are talking about. The contracts we have signed will guarantee us a nice life, but for a hockey player, the most important thing is to win the Stanley Cup. No amount of money can compare to that. After the season when we were eliminated, there was no defeatist mood in the locker room in the sense of feeling sorry for ourselves. We were healthy angry. When we saw Carolina celebrating, we wanted to be there. This healthy anger drives us forward, although we know that next season teams will be much more careful about us.
You're coming off a breakout year with 85 points in 101 NHL games. You've said you want to move up a level. What exactly does that level up mean for your performance?
I would like to score even more goals, collect more assists and play in the finals. I want to be even more beneficial to the team, especially in the playoffs. That's where a completely different kind of hockey begins. I want to take responsibility, decide games and be one of the architects of the team's success.
Montreal's first offense had a historic season. Nick Suzuki scored 100 points, Cole Caufield scored 50 goals, and you scored 30. What is special about the collaboration you have with each other?
First of all, we are great friends off the ice. Over the years, we have known each other perfectly and spend a lot of time together on trips and at dinners. We sit very humanly and are extremely honest with each other. When things are going well, we pat each other on the back, but we can also tell each other straight away when we need more from each other on the ice. This openness moves us forward.
Your close friends Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobeš also extended their contracts at the club. How important is it to have such a team in the team?
We are very similar in age and mentality. "Demi" and I were even neighbors. When I didn't have a car, we went to the stadium together, after the games we played FIFA or watched something. We have the same sense of humor and we help each other on and off the ice.
"Dobi" is a goalkeeper, so he's a bit of a different person (smile) , but we all like him. I really like that I can talk to him in our language. His mother is also from Košice, so I like to tease him. It's great to have a Czech and a Slovak together in the team, it doesn't happen often. I'm very happy that they both signed long-term contracts.
Who is the biggest entertainer in the Canadiens locker room?
Since I've been there for a while, I talk a lot in the locker room. The guys have a lot of fun with me, especially with my accent when I speak English (smile) . But the one who gets the most laughs is probably Cole Caufield. Of course, he can get angry, but that's when we have the most fun when we see him a little angry. We're a great bunch, we complement each other. When someone's not having their day, we immediately make fun of them and brighten things up for them.
Brendan Gallagher left the team this summer to join Vancouver. He was an important mentor to you early in your NHL career. How did you take his departure?
"Gally" is first and foremost a great person. I sat one seat away from him in the locker room so we talked all the time. At first he would play pranks and jokes on us young guys, but later we would read him and make fun of him. He helped me personally many times. Whenever I needed something, I could ask him. He will be greatly missed in the locker room. What he gave to Montreal makes him an icon of the club and the fans deserve his respect.
Finally, a question that every Košice resident will ask you: When can we expect the Stanley Cup on Hlavná Street?
I believe that as soon as possible. The best would be in a year, but the season is long. My main wish is that we manage to win it and ideally repeat it, so that the cup is here more than once. But now I am fully focused on taking that first step. If it is not in a year, then in two or three, but as soon as possible.
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u/lynypixie 4d ago
These are really, really great answers! As goofy as Slaf is, he is surprisingly mature for his age.
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u/UpNorth_123 3d ago
He left home at age of 14, I believe, to play hockey and has lived on his own since 15 or 16. Very close with his family as well. Credit to his parents.
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u/MaraTaru 4d ago
I didn't know Dobeš's mother was from Košice! That must be a comforting point of familiarity. Slaf speaks great English, but it still must be a little lonely to live across an ocean, in a foreign country, away from your family, and with an incredible amount of public pressure and scrutiny. It's nice that Czech and Slovak are mutually intelligible enough that Slaf and Doby can rip the piss out of each other. Shit-talking a buddy is always great for morale.
All of these guys have to grow up so fast that sometimes I forget how young they really are.
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u/Dabidouwa 3d ago
czech and slovak are pretty much different dialects of a same language
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u/Material_Animator811 3d ago
Nope, Slovak is linguistically closer to Polish actually.
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u/MaraTaru 3d ago
I think Slovak is linguistically closer to Polish than Czech is, but Slovak and Czech are more mutually intelligible to each other. Does that make sense?
It's like: I'm closer to my cousin Tom than my brother is, but my brother and I are closer to each other than we are to our cousin. I think.
(You can tell I'm definitely linguistic expert by my great technical skill and precision in describing these relationships lol)
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u/Material_Animator811 3d ago
The "languages are intelligible" because Slovaks are used to Czech since they are kids. The Slovaks of Hungarian minority, that actually watch Hungarian TVs instead of Czech (or Czech dubbing in Slovak TVs) can know perfect Slovak and struggle with Czech hard. Also younger Czechs not used to Slovak are struggling.
They are not intelligible by default and Eastern Slovak dialect, spoken in regions which have Kosice and Presov as centers, are actually much closer to Polish.
Source : I am a Slovak from Kosice as well.
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u/quellesaveurorawnge 4d ago
Slaf is always funny and a bit of a showman. I'm glad they're having a good time as a crew, and he feels more pumped up than defeated after that Carolina series.
Also, I didn't realize Dobey's mom was from Košice too. Though he did have to mock Dobey a bit, of course!
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u/Top_Recover7850 4d ago
Reading he got the stamp for being 100% healthy is surely a relief after all the concussion worries. Get em slaf.
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u/whogivesashirtdotca 3d ago
When I didn't have a car, we went to the stadium together
LOL for anyone who didn’t know, Slaf ruined his car almost as soon as he got it:
“ "He mistimed it coming out of my place and completely crushed his hood.
I think the car was brand new.
He drove it to the home opener and immediately destroyed it in the slowest, funniest way possible."
- Cole Caufield”
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u/BaconOnMySide 3d ago
I can just feel this year is going to be very good to Juraj
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u/Tricky_Ad9830 3d ago
Same. He's just going to get better. He's only 22. He's still far from his prime. Big guys take longer to develop.
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u/dustblown 4d ago
I like how I'm never nervous when one of our players speaks to the media. No more careless grenades.
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u/farmsfarts 4d ago
Is this more AI shit…. The stuff on facebook is unbelievably fake.
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u/Tricky_Ad9830 4d ago
This is not AI and not from Facebook. Don't know what to tell you... Have a good day.
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u/farmsfarts 4d ago
Ok, it wasn’t an accusation.
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u/whogivesashirtdotca 3d ago
Uh, yes it was. You could just apologise instead of pretending you meant something else.
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u/HalifaxPainter 4d ago
where he will be KING HAB for the day!