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Slovakia

The Coat of arms of Slovakia is the badge used on the players jerseys.
Association	Slovak Ice Hockey Federation
General manager	Otto Sýkora
Head coach	Vladimír Vůjtek
Assistants	Peter Oremus Roman Svantner
Captain	Zdeno Chára
Most games	Martin Štrbák (162)
Top scorer	Miroslav Šatan (80)
Most points	Miroslav Šatan (152)
Home stadium	Zimný Štadión Ondreja Nepelu
Team colors
IIHF code	SVK
Ranking
Current IIHF	6 4
Highest IIHF	3 (2004)
Lowest IIHF	10 (2011)
First international
Bohemia 12–0 Slovakia  (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 1 February 1940)
Biggest win
Slovakia 20–0 Bulgaria  (Poprad, Slovakia; 18 March 1994)
Biggest defeat
Bohemia 12–0 Slovakia  (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 1 February 1940)
Olympics
Appearances	5 (first in 1994)
Medals	0
IIHF World Championships
Appearances	17 (first in 1994)
Best result	Gold: 1 - (2002)
International record (W–L–T)
234–168–48

Medal record
World Championships
	2000 Russia	Slovakia
	2002 Sweden	Slovakia
	2003 Finland	Slovakia
	2012 Finland/Sweden	Slovakia

The Slovak men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Slovakia and is controlled by the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. As of March 2010, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the world governing body of hockey, ranks them as the seventh strongest national team in the world. It is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world. The team's general manager is Otto Sýkora and their head coach is Vladimír Vůjtek.

In the last sixteen years, Slovakia has won four medals at the World Championships, including a gold medal in 2002 in Sweden. In winter Olympic games, Slovakia's highest achievement is 4th place in Vancouver 2010. In the tournament they won against favourites Russia and Sweden, and lost against Canada in the semifinals and against Finland in the bronze medal game.

History

The Slovak national team was formed following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, as the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. For years, the Czechs kept control over how the national team was run, and even had quotas instituted to ensure a minimal participation of Slovak players on the Czechoslovakian national team. While the Czechs were allowed to compete at the highest pool (A), the IIHF ruled that because fewer players of the former Czechoslovak team were Slovaks, Slovakia would be required to start international play in Pool C. However, Slovakia's play in the lower pools won it promotion to pool A by 1996. See also Post-Cold War period of the IIHF world championships.

In the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Slovak team was unable to use its National Hockey League (NHL) players in the preliminary round due to a scheduling conflict. This affected all of the smaller countries, but devastated the Slovak team as most of their players were coming from NHL teams. The NHL had decided to only allow their players to participate in the final medal round, and thus Slovakia failed to qualify finishing a disappointing 13th. This turn of events was troubling to the entire hockey community, and the rules were changed for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Notable Slovak national team members and current NHL players include Marián Gáborík of the New York Rangers; brothers Marián Hossa and Marcel Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks and Dinamo Riga, respectively; Miroslav Šatan; star goaltender of the St. Louis Blues Jaroslav Halak and the tallest player in NHL history, Zdeno Chára. In the late 1990s, the St. Louis Blues placed Ľuboš Bartečko, Michal Handzuš, and Pavol Demitra on the same line. This trio became known as the "Slovak Pack," and were able to communicate in their native language without the opposition knowing what they were saying, unless of course they also spoke/understood Slovak.

Olympic record

• 1994 – Finished in 6th place
• 1998 – Finished in 10th place
• 2002 – Finished in 13th place
• 2006 – Finished in 5th place (see roster)
• 2010 – Finished in 4th place

World Cup record

• 1996 – 7th place (Did not qualify for playoffs)
• 2004 – 8th place (Lost in Quarter-finals)

World Championship record

• 1994 – Finished in 21st place (winner of the "Pool C")
• 1995 – Finished in 13th place (winner of the "Pool B")
• 1996 – Finished in 10th place
• 1997 – Finished in 9th place
• 1998 – Finished in 7th place
• 1999 – Finished in 7th place
• 2000 – Won silver medal
• 2001 – Finished in 7th place
• 2002 – Won gold medal
• 2003 – Won bronze medal
• 2004 – Finished in 4th place
• 2005 – Finished in 5th place
• 2006 – Finished in 8th place
• 2007 – Finished in 6th place
• 2008 – Finished in 13th place
• 2009 – Finished in 10th place
• 2010 – Finished in 12th place
• 2011 – Finished in 10th place
• 2012 – Won silver medal

Year	Location	Result
1996	Vienna,  Austria	10th place
1997	Helsinki / Turku / Tampere,  Finland	9th place
1998	Zürich / Basel,   Switzerland	7th place
1999	Oslo / Lillehammer / Hamar,  Norway	7th place
2000	Saint Petersburg,  Russia	Silver
2001	Cologne / Hanover / Nuremberg,  Germany	7th place
2002	Gothenburg / Karlstad / Jönköping,  Sweden	Gold
2003	Helsinki / Tampere / Turku,  Finland	Bronze
2004	Prague / Ostrava,  Czech Republic	4th place
2005	Innsbruck / Vienna,  Austria	5th place
2006	Riga,  Latvia	8th place
2007	Moscow / Mytishchi,  Russia	6th place
2008	Quebec City / Halifax,  Canada	13th place
2009	Bern / Kloten,   Switzerland	10th place
2010	Cologne / Mannheim / Gelsenkirchen,  Germany	12th place
2011	Bratislava / Košice,  Slovakia	10th place
2012	Helsinki,  Finland / Stockholm,  Sweden	Silver
2013	Stockholm,  Sweden / Helsinki,  Finland
2014	Minsk,  Belarus
2015	Prague / Ostrava,  Czech Republic
2016	Moscow / Saint Petersburg,  Russia

2010 Olympics roster

Template:2010 Winter Olympics Slovakia men's ice hockey team roster

World Championship 2012 roster

Goaltenders
#	Player	Date of birth	Club
2	Peter Hamerlík	2 January 1982	HC Oceláři Třinec
39	Július Hudáček	9 August 1988	Sodertalje SK
50	Ján Laco	1 December 1981	Donbas Donetsk

Defensemen
#	Player	Date of birth	Club
4	Michal Sersen	28 December 1985	HC Slovan Bratislava
7	Ivan Baranka	19 May 1985	Salavat Yulayev Ufa
19	Tomáš Starosta	20 May 1981	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk
23	René Vydarený	6 May 1981	HC České Budějovice
33	Zdeno Chára C	19 March 1977	Boston Bruins
44	Andrej Sekera	8 June 1986	Buffalo Sabres
51	Dominik Graňák A (before his injury)	11 June 1983	Dynamo Moscow
78	Kristián Kudroč	21 May 1981	Sibir Novosibirsk

Forwards
#	Player	Date of birth	Club
18	Miroslav Šatan A	22 October 1974	HC Slovan Bratislava
21	Libor Hudáček	7 September 1990	HC Slovan Bratislava
25	Marek Hovorka	8 October 1984	HC Sparta Praha
26	Michal Handzuš A (after Graňák's injury)	11 March 1977	San Jose Sharks
43	Tomáš Surový	24 September 1981	HC Lev Praha
55	Mário Bližňák	6 March 1987	HC Slovan Bratislava
61	Milan Bartovič	9 April 1981	HC Slovan Bratislava
71	Juraj Mikúš	22 February 1987	HC Lev Praha
81	Marcel Hossa	12 October 1981	HC Lev Praha
82	Tomáš Kopecký	5 February 1982	Florida Panthers
87	Marcel Haščák	3 February 1987	HC Košice
90	Tomáš Tatar	1 December 1990	Detroit Red Wings
91	Michel Miklík	31 July 1982	HC Slovan Bratislava
92	Branko Radivojevič	24 November 1980	Spartak Moscow

2002 gold medalists

Retired numbers

• 38 - Pavol Demitra

See also

• List of Slovaks in the NHL
• Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame
• History of ice hockey in Slovakia
• Czechoslovak national ice hockey team
• Czech republic - Slovakia ice hockey rivalry

References

• - from the National Hockey League
• - from Sports Illustrated
• - from International Ice Hockey Federation

• Ice hockey in Slovakia
• National ice hockey teams
• Slovakia national ice hockey teams