The closely watched topic of the last two years, and especially the last few days, was the nomination of the Slovak hockey team for the qualifying tournament for participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Photo: TASR, Radovan Stoklasa
Michal Hlinka spent most of his career in Dukla Trenčín.
In the fight for participation under the five rings, coach Craig Ramsay’s team will meet Austria on August 29, Hungary a day later, and the event will culminate on Sunday, September 1 with a match against Kazakhstan.
Players from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) – defenders Martin Gernát, Mário Grman and Adam Liška – were called to the Slovak national team for the qualifying tournament for the first time since the beginning of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
After the announcement of the menoslov of 25 players in the selection, the president of the Slovak Ice Hockey Association (SZĽH), Miroslav Šatan, who is also the general manager of the national team, faced a wave of criticism from some fans and the media.
Former representative Michal Hlinka also commented on the topic of the participation of hockey players from the KHL in jerseys with a double cross on the chest, which is divided by society. He is on the side of hockey players from the KHL.
And you, some journalists and other thinkers, would go to Russia immediately if they offered you a few crowns more than you earn here at home, in our super “rich” country. Let those guys from the KHL live in peace and play hockey too for the national team,” Hlinka wrote on Instagram.
According to him, Slovaks in the KHL have been mistreated by some of the media and the public for two years. “You have never played hockey in your life and you have absolutely no idea what it entails, you experts,” said Hlinka.
The pupil of Dukla Trenčín is currently 31 years old. In the past, he worked for Slovan Bratislava in the KHL for two seasons. He is the son of the world champion from Gothenburg 2002, Miroslav Hlinka, who died ten years ago.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
