KHL player disputes leave Slovakia dealing with loss of foreign gem – Sport.cz

The case is mainly Slovakia’s hockey gem from abroad – Slafkovský from Montreal. Apart from Satan’s reasoning, there are reports that his absence is due to his back problems. “He will not represent for defense purposes. Nothing too serious, but Juraj has some problems with his back. The decision was made in collaboration with the Canadiens,” TVA Sports’ foreign correspondent Nicolas Cloutier said in a post on the X social network.

Three other possible reasons for the mysterious absence were explained in the Slovak media by former NHL defenseman and TV expert Boris Valábik. “I don’t know exactly what is happening between the union and Juraj, but I think there are three situations. Either he wanted to prepare diligently for the upcoming NHL season and prioritized it over the national team, or the club didn’t let them go because they signed a roster contract and didn’t they wanted him to be hurt. It’s also possible that a certain disappointment with the World Cup in the past may have played a part in his decision.”

Of course, it doesn’t matter, Slafkovský himself definitely wanted to play, which he confirmed shortly after signing a new eight-year contract with the Canadiens worth a total of $60.8 million on July 1. “I am ready to represent my country, but the decision is not mine. The management of the Canadians will decide that,” he recalled at the time.

Journalist Cloutier recalled that the management of the Canadians protects its jewel like an eye in the head. Slafkovský was a legitimate member of the starting offense in his second season in the NHL. He scored twenty goals and collected 50 points in 82 regular season games. He represented the Czech Republic at the World Championship. Although he failed to score even once in eight duels, he was one of Slovakia’s best players at the tournament and recorded eight assists.

At the same time, disputes about KHL players in the national team are dying. It is doubtful whether their presence will affect the cabin.

Defenders Mário Grman, Martin Gernát and forward Adam Liška will appear in the qualifiers from August 29.

In the last few weeks, another tense debate has started in Slovakia, that is about filling the position of national team coach. When Craig Ramsay, now 73 years old, became captain in August 2017, few thought he would start an eighth season in a row on the national team bench.

Reason? It was not possible to raise his successor – Slovakia, who would have been promoted from the position of assistant.

“We expect that (Ramsay) will help us to educate the coaches as well, that’s why the assistants will rotate with him,” said the head of the Šatan union in the past. 10 players appeared help with Canada, but according to the union, none of them have yet met the expectations to take the hot seat.

“I still don’t see a successor who will take over after Craig,” the union leader said after the last extension of the contract with Canada. The last one came so far this week. “We are happy that the coach who changed our philosophy continues,” said Šatan after signing another one-year contract.

As with the participation of KHL players in the national team, the Slovak hockey nation is divided on the question of Ramsay’s continued participation. One group welcomes his continuation, others choose more or less harsh criticism and they already want Slovakia on the bench. However, according to the Slovak media, many experts with a representative in the past prefer to remain anonymous when they complain.

Dominik Graňák, the record holder in the number of national team starts (194), is definitely not among them. He is satisfied with the union’s decision. “From my experience with him, I can say that he is doing a very good job in the national team. He definitely moved the team in the right direction. Let’s look at the bronze medal at the Olympics in Beijing, that’s a good result,” said Graňák, adding that one of the good things is that Ramsay also gives a chance to lesser-known players.

The legendary Jozef Golonka also says that results are important, but he could certainly think of Slovakia as a national team coach. “I can say that we have a lot of coaches in Slovakia who have what it takes to lead high quality teams or national teams, but they didn’t get the chance,” said Golonka.

Even Slovakia’s Ľubomír Pokovič is a favorite on the bench of the national team. “Perhaps the people of the union know what they are doing when they extended Ramsay’s contract for another year. However, it is no secret that I am in principle in favor of having a Slovak as the coach of the national team. We certainly have enough candidates for that, although it will always be very difficult for the home coach,” said the former assistant coach of the national team.

The known expert Valábik, in his own words, understands both camps. “I have a lot of respect for Branko Radivojevic, who recently said that Ramsay should stop. However, I think our national team can still learn a lot from him. And apparently Miroslav Šatan still thinks so, because he gave him another chance,” said Valábik.

According to him, the Canadian would be legitimate in the cabin of Slovakia even if he was not in the position of head coach. “His experience would be invaluable to other coaches, who could help manage the national team,” he said.