In recent weeks, Juraj Slafkovský has been in a war of words with the Slovak Ice Hockey Association. It started when the 20-year-old Montreal Canadiens winger made several accusations in an interview for The Athletic against his home nation’s hockey governing body, including nepotism when it comes to the selection of youth national teams.
Hockey Slovakia fired back, calling Slafkovský’s comments “ill-considered statements of a young player.”
In a recent appearance on the Slovak podcast Boris a Brambor (Boris and the Potato), former Slovak superstar Marián Gáborík took exception to Slafkovský speaking on his behalf in his rant, according to Slovak media outlet Sita.sk.
“You also mentioned me and (Marián Hossa), which I also thought was unnecessary,” Gáborík reportedly said, apparently addressing Slafkovský, who was not present. “What could he know about whether we are the ones who could solve these things behind closed doors? I also consider this to be an unfortunate statement. Of course, yes, maybe now I don’t have the desire or ambition to work for Hockey Slovakia, but who knows what will happen in the future? You didn’t have to take us down.”
That comment was in response to Slafkovský’s quote: “You think Hossa wants to work for the federation? No. Gáborík? No. It’s because of some people that are already there, they do it their own way, so they benefit from it, and not Slovak hockey.”
Gáborík, now 42, was forced to stop playing in 2018 after undergoing herniated disk surgery and never fully recovering. Before retiring, he recorded 815 points in 1,035 NHL games with the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators. He won a Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014.
Internationally, he represented Slovakia at six IIHF World Championships and two Winter Olympics.
Gáborík continued to criticize Slafkovský’s interview, expressing that he doesn’t think making such comments in the media is helpful.
“In our time, we had other superstars like Žigmund Pálffy, Miroslav Šatan, Peter Bondra, Ľubomír Višňovský and Fera Hossa (Marián’s father),” the article went on to say. “At that time, the association also didn’t function as it should. But I wonder which of these players, and they were already older, commented on its condition. Well, no one. Not even after their careers.”
When asked why none of the players spoke up, he responded, “Maybe some guys spoke up, but it was internal. Maybe it was dealt with behind closed doors and not through the media.”
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