{"time":1753292780634,"blocks":[{"id":"vpSWyicvh2","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"\nWhen you look back at the history\nof Slovak hockey, elite goaltenders have been few and far between.\nThere used to be a common joke: Slovakia had A-level forwards,\nB-level defensemen, and C-level goalies."}},{"id":"LMmDxOUsyu","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One\nnotable exception during the Czechoslovak era was Vladimír Dzurilla.\nAt the 1976 Canada Cup, he stole the show and stunned the North\nAmerican audience by shutting down a roster of Canadian stars. Due to\nthe Iron Curtain, he never got a chance in the NHL, but he was on\ntheir radar. Dzurilla collected medals at World Championships and\nOlympics, and to this day, many consider him the greatest Slovak\ngoalie ever."}},{"id":"mdg2t11a","type":"video","data":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/e743f202-f4bd-43e8-b14f-72bf5d0b55f6/mp4","caption":"","autoplay":false,"controls":true,"muted":false,"stretched":true,"width":0,"height":0,"image":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/e743f202-f4bd-43e8-b14f-72bf5d0b55f6/thumbnail"},"cdn":{"videoId":"e743f202-f4bd-43e8-b14f-72bf5d0b55f6","libraryId":"372172","collectionId":"30032062-eefd-4041-a355-12ad05bc987b","cdnBaseUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net","mp4Url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/e743f202-f4bd-43e8-b14f-72bf5d0b55f6/mp4","thumbnailUrl":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/e743f202-f4bd-43e8-b14f-72bf5d0b55f6/thumbnail","previewAnimationUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net/e743f202-f4bd-43e8-b14f-72bf5d0b55f6/preview.webp"}}},{"id":"WPzbdNSCRz","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Breaking\ninto the NHL wasn’t easy for Slovak netminders. Ján Lašák and\nRastislav Staňa only had brief stints despite success in\ninternational play. Peter Budaj was the first to stick, carving out a\nsolid career with the Colorado Avalanche and eventually backing up\nJonathan Quick with the Los Angeles Kings. He ended with 368 NHL games and is now\na respected goalie coach with the Anaheim Ducks."}},{"id":"7SXmJZ0waM","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"But\nthe biggest breakthrough came from the smallest guy."}},{"id":"gsPVhKgUCU","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Jaroslav\nHalák, listed at under six feet tall, was passed over repeatedly at\nthe 2003 NHL Draft despite backstopping Slovakia to a surprise silver\nat the U-18 World Championship. NHL teams doubted his size. The Montreal Canadiens took a flyer on him in the ninth round and it paid off."}},{"id":"YCiss7Q-ie","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Fittingly,\nHalák learned of his selection while in line at a McDonald’s."}},{"id":"71gktCkRrU","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“They\ntold me I could go in the second or third round,” Halák recalled.\n“I watched the first five rounds, didn’t hear my name, so I\nturned it off. Then I went to McDonald’s with some friends for ice\ncream before an inline hockey game. While I was in line, an unknown\nnumber from the U.S. called. It was my agent. He told me Montreal\ntook me in the ninth round. I said thank you, hung up, and went back\nto my friends.” \n"}},{"id":"wjUlcVT5n7","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From\na young age, Halák was obsessed with goalie gear. What he called\n“knight’s armor.”"}},{"id":"ea6JKgUxzt","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“I’ve\nwanted to be a goalie since I was three or four. Most kids dream of\nscoring goals, but I always wanted to stop them. I loved the\nequipment the pads, the mask, it was like a different world to me.”"}},{"id":"dUxRa5fo2g","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Halák\nfought his way through Montreal’s system, eventually going\ntoe-to-toe with the highly touted Carey Price. In 2010, Halák\ncemented his place in Habs lore with a magical playoff run. Splitting\nstarts with Price, the Slovak stole the headlines and series against\nSidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals, knocking\nout two Cup favorites with jaw-dropping performances."}},{"id":"GBhEcep_dJ","type":"image","data":{"caption":"Apr 28, 2010; Washington, DC USA; Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) and Canadiens right wing Brian Gionta (21) celebrate as Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) and Capitals center Brooks Laich (21) skate away after the Canadiens defeated the Capitals in game seven of the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Canadiens won the game 2-1 and the series four games to three. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images","withBorder":false,"withBackground":false,"stretched":false,"file":{"url":"https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2f5179de-336c-4f26-94e4-99e6fbb1bbd8.jpeg","width":2912,"height":2212}}},{"id":"kIblmTb7O8","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Montreal’s\nCinderella run ended in the conference finals against the Philadelphia Flyers,\nbut Halák had already made his mark. The Canadiens chose to build\naround Price, trading Halák to the St. Louis Blues, where he formed a\nformidable tandem with Brian Elliott. Together, they captured the\nWilliam M. Jennings Trophy, both as ninth-round picks."}},{"id":"4Lr9R-MmtO","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Few\nsub-six-foot goalies have had Halák’s impact in the modern NHL\nafter 2000s. His technique made him appear bigger than he actually\nwas."}},{"id":"_MIQxbgS-n","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“He\nlooks way taller than he is because he plays nearly upright, which no\none else in the NHL does,” said Ján Lašák, the longtime goalie coach of the Slovakia national\nteam. “Most goalies crouch and stay low.\nHalák plays tall and challenges the shot. It’s unique.”"}},{"id":"_Jxb0P4RHu","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Halák\ndidn’t have a personal goalie coach until he was 16. His\ndevelopment took off when he started working with Roland Melanson,\nwho taught him to hold his stance longer and maximize his size in\nnet. “There weren’t many goalie coaches back then,” he\nsaid. “The first one who really taught me to hold my stance and\nstay up as long as possible to look bigger was Roland Melanson. He\nworked with me during camps run by my agent, that was even before I\ngot drafted by the Montreal Canadiens,“ Halák recalled."}},{"id":"fEVuBe5lQ6","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/predicting-slovakias-2026-olympic-roster","meta":{"title":"Predicting Slovakia's 2026 Olympic roster","site_name":"The Hockey News","url":"https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/predicting-slovakias-2026-olympic-roster","description":" By winning their group at the final round of qualifying this past weekend, the Slovaks have qualified for the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.\n","image":{"url":"https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/MjA5MDU1MDExNzE4NTcxODc2/usatsi_17721410.jpg","type":"jpg"}}}},{"id":"8IOvQ7e_kz","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"He\nspent three-and-a-half seasons with the Blues, never replicating his\n2010 playoff magic, then had brief stops with the Buffalo Sabres and Washington\nbefore landing with the New York Islanders, where he had arguably the best\nstretch of his career."}},{"id":"t5QOifZ0pW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In\n2014–15, Halák became a fan favorite at Nassau Coliseum, setting a\nfranchise record with 11 straight wins, earning an All-Star nod, and\nfinishing the season with 38 victories, still an Isles single-season\nrecord. He led the Islanders to the playoffs, narrowly losing a seven-game\nseries to Washington."}},{"id":"bucEtlx3dB","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"He\nalso faced his toughest challenge there. Despite leading Team Europe\nto the final at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, playing lights-out for\na roster cobbled together from Slovakia, Germany, and Switzerland,\nHalák found himself demoted in Brooklyn. Thomas Greiss took over the\nNo. 1 job, Jean-François Bérubé was in the mix, and Halák was sent\nto the AHL at 31."}},{"id":"IJoUlllKD5","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“That\ndidn’t break me, it motivated me,” Halák said. “I wanted to\nprove I still belonged in the NHL.” And he did. Halák bounced back\nto reclaim the Isles’ crease the next season, then joined the Boston Bruins,\nwhere he formed a steady tandem with Tuukka Rask."}},{"id":"wzrMgAZJeZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Ironically,\nhis brilliant NHL career never translated to international medals,\nmuch like his compatriot Marián Hossa. Halak came closest at the\n2010 Olympics in Vancouver, where Slovakia led Finland 3–1 in the\nbronze medal game after two periods, but fell apart in the third and\nlost 5–3."}},{"id":"zr-VJMkXEf","type":"image","data":{"caption":"Feb 27, 2010; Vancouver, BC, CANADA; Slovakia goalie Jaroslav Halak (center) makes a save in the first period of the men's bronze medal ice hockey game against Finland at Canada Hockey Place during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images","withBorder":false,"withBackground":false,"stretched":false,"file":{"url":"https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/fc251614-41e9-4b79-a0ed-a298fccb3618.jpeg","width":3066,"height":2172}}},{"id":"0Klae2XadZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“I\nstill think about that game,” Halák admitted. “We took bad\npenalties, gave up a fluky goal — (Kimmo) Timonen just flung it from the\nblue line and it deflected in. That was the turning point. Like\ntrying to stop an avalanche.”"}},{"id":"1DgR9ZNpM5","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Halák’s\nother great chance came in Boston’s run to the 2019 Stanley Cup\nFinal, where they lost in Game 7 to St. Louis, his former team. “You\npicture yourself lifting the Cup… and then it slips away,” he\nsaid."}},{"id":"F9NssV3ion","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"He\nlater had stints with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers, where he wrapped\nup his NHL career in 2022–23. He played just 25 games that year,\nbut won seven straight starts a club record for a backup."}},{"id":"3e4dVxSNt9","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Halak\nfinished with 295 career wins, five short of the 300 milestone that\nhaunted him for two years. “I’ve come to terms with it,” he\nsaid. “Would’ve been nice to hit 300, but I’m proud of 295. It\nwas a good career.”"}},{"id":"XC0o7LuANB","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"He\nmade one final push in the Carolina Hurricanes’ training camp in 2023, but\nrefused an AHL assignment. That’s when he knew it was over."}},{"id":"ByjUAlwEnb","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Still,\nthe numbers speak for themselves: 581 games, 295 wins, 53 shutouts,\ntwo Jennings Trophies. No Slovak goalie has come close."}},{"id":"m8fApijd2g","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Jaroslav\nHalák didn’t just overcome the odds, he redefined them. He’s\nremained humble throughout his career. Even today, if you ask him\nwhether he’s the best goalie in Slovak hockey history, he just\nsmiles and says: “I’ll let others decide that. I’m proud of\nwhat I achieved and the name I made for myself in the NHL. For an\nunderestimated kid from (the Bratislava neighborhood of) Petržalka, I’d say that’s pretty good.”\n"}},{"id":"DGL7Kbg0jE","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Photo © Eric Bolte-Imagn Images."}},{"id":"jfWOdMlDXA","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/jaroslav-halak-officially-retires-i-ll-never-wear-the-pads-again","meta":{"title":"Jaroslav Halák Officially Retires: “I’ll Never Wear The Pads Again”","site_name":"The Hockey News","url":"https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/jaroslav-halak-officially-retires-i-ll-never-wear-the-pads-again","description":"\nHe hasn’t played a competitive hockey game in more than two years,\nbut Slovak goaltender Jaroslav Halák never\nofficially ended his career … until now. \n\n","image":{"url":"https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/47ab480b-cb13-4fc6-babc-8f56157ea386.webp","type":"webp"}}}}],"version":"2.31.0-rc.7"}

Tomáš Prokop

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From McDonald’s To The NHL: How ‘Undersized’ Jaroslav Halák Became The Best Slovak Goalie Ever