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After the match, he came to the mixing zone concentrated, as if he were still in the goal. He went from microphone to microphone, spoke calmly, and there was no question in him at all that he had just entered the history of Slovak hockey. At the same time, he is one of the main engineers of bronze success and an aspirant for the best goalkeeper of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
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Patrik Rybár fought his way from the position of the team trio to the precious metal. However, he was not really aware of his weight even when the bronze was already hanging around his neck. “It’s weird, but it’s true. I don’t have any emotions yet. I don’t usually enjoy anything, so of course I’m looking forward to it, I just don’t show it,” he said.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper got among the three poles in the second match, when he got a chance after his colleagues Branislav Konrád and Matej Tomek. During the two-thirds against the Swedes, he did not collect, he also won the group over Latvia (5: 2), then Germany (4: 0) and largely earned the triumph over the favored US team after the raids. He caught 33 of the 35 shots and didn’t let any of the five raids behind his back. He scored the only loss in the semifinals with Finland, when he scored one goal, the other fell into an empty goal.
In the fight for the bronze, he drew the blind again: “We got something that no one has done yet. What it looked like at the beginning, when we didn’t play well at all, it turned out well and we are very happy that we won a medal. I’ll realize later what we’ve accomplished. But I’m proud of the whole team, after those two matches we said something in the cabin and started playing a completely different game. ”
Before Sunday’s final, he reigned supporters statistics with an average of 0.86 goals per game and a 96.58% success rate: “Our team is not that strong, so most of the time, if the goalkeeper catches well, we can win something. I am glad it worked out. ” The Slovaks entered the last three duels as paper outsiders, but Rybár had no problem with that at all.
“I didn’t feel nervous. I like the pressure, I’ve always loved it. I’ve tried to focus on myself, on my work, on every shot. Stay calm and signal to the guys that they can count on me,” he said modestly.
He had a lot of support from home: “My wife is very happy, my whole family got up at five in the morning and didn’t sleep. Again and again. So I definitely won for them too and I’m looking forward to them when I get home.” And the support was not just psychological. Pavol Rybár’s father and former national team goalkeeper, a silver and bronze medalist from the World Cup, gave him valuable advice throughout the tournament and prepared information about his nearest opponents.
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“We communicated the whole tournament, he edited my videos. Before each match, I saw all the shooters coming at me playing in the powerhouses where they shoot, so I was excellently prepared. I had a lot of support and I read the game better,” he said.
And he also had support from his teammates. They have known Konrád since their youth, when he took turns in Slovan Bratislava’s goal with his father. “We are friends, we are still in touch. He is a great person, he supported me the whole tournament. He took the position from the substitute, he stood by me and tried to support me. When I saw that he trusted me, I felt better,” he added. .
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Pavol Rybár: Patrik gave hope for a win
It is an amazing success for the whole of Slovakia, Pavol Rybár, the father of goalkeeper Patrik Rybár, evaluated the bronze performance of Slovak hockey players at the 2022 Olympic Games. According to the former national team, coach Craig Ramsay’s charges played very well in Beijing, and the team and team spirit from the hockey team was felt.
“We are celebrating a little decently. I am incredibly happy even when I was young, that they succeeded,” said Pavol Rybár. “I find it very difficult to evaluate my sons’ performance. We will evaluate it with him, we also talked about it and I congratulated him on it. I think he caught very well and gave hope in the match in every match.”
According to the former national team goalkeeper, whenever a team achieves collective success or wins a medal, there must be chemistry in it and it must pull for one rope. “It’s not just a cliché. At home on TV, I saw that the team is tuned to the same wave and is pursuing its goal,” said former goalkeeper Slovana Bratislava and Skalice.
At the turn of the century, Pavol Rybár was an integral part of the Slovak national team. He won silver at the 2000 World Championships in St. Petersburg and was also part of the team at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and Salt Lake City in 2002.
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