Slovak partisan jerseys: they’re all Slafkovsky #20

Juraj Slafkovsky is probably the most polarizing name when it comes to hockey and the Montreal Canadiens.

The 20-year-old Slovakian’s second half of the season has completely fired up fans, who simply can’t see any ceiling on his potential.

The number-one overall pick in the 2022 auction has been THE darling in Montreal for several months now.

But it’s not just in Montreal that Slafkovsky is seen as an idol.

Earlier this week, my excellent colleague Marc-Olivier Cook explained that, in Slovakia, Juraj Slafkovsky is a mega-celebrity and therefore more than popular .

He’s the first Slovak player to be drafted at the very top of an NHL draft, and he has the potential to become the best Slovak player of all time.

And Slovak fans know it.

As confirmation of celebrity Juraj Slafkovsky’s popularity in Slovakia, we saw this morning that virtually all the jerseys worn by Slovak fans are #20 jerseys.

This photo alone shows seven of Juraj Slafkovsky’s Slovak jerseys.

A Jaromir Jagr jersey can also be seen.

And in the following video, at the very end, you can see a Montreal Canadiens jersey, most likely with Slafkovsky’s name on the back.

In short, Slaf is truly a star, if not a god over there in Slovakia.

Slovakian fans take advantage of the fact that their idol plays close to home, in the Czech Republic.

It’s easy to see why it was so important for Slafkovsky to take part in this tournament. He wants to play in front of his Slovakian fans, and make them happy.

As for the game itself, well, Slaf was once again very solid, multiplying good performances with intensity and talent.

The Habs forward is a true competitor, and wants to win at all costs.

He had just one assist in Slovakia’s 6-2 win over Kazakhstan, but he did much more than that.

The 20-year-old Slovakian showed his character throughout the match, even mocking the Kazakhstan players.

He imitated a crying baby as he showed the score (which was 3-0 in Slovakia’s favor at the time) to the Kazakh players.

pic.twitter.com/XG893FlTnq

– Cam Weitzman (@Cweitz99) May 12, 2024

In short, Slafkovsky is having a good World Championship so far with three assists in two games, while he’s pleasing all his fans who are passing through the Czech Republic to see him play.

Grant McCagg was quick to compare Slafkovsky to Eric Lindros.

In short, Slaf’s hotel bed will clearly be more comfortable after this fine 6-2 victory over Kazakhstan.

In a gust

– He’s having fun.

– Incroyable.

– I couldn’t agree more.

– Wow.

– Pretty crazy/ridiculous these ice times. We go from 12 seconds for one to 55 minutes for the other.

– Indeed.