Juraj Slafkovsky: “He’s the #1 target for every team when they’re preparing their strategy.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Juraj Slafkovsky: “He’s the #1 target for every team when they’re preparing their strategy.”
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The men's hockey tournament at the Olympics has confirmed two things for us so far.

1. It's so much fun to watch the best players compete on the international stage. It makes for spectacular games and truly unforgettable moments for fans of every nation.

Yesterday was a great example of this, with three games going into overtime. I mean, when Elliotte Friedman has to light up a cigarette at the end of the day because it's been so stressful… hehe :

2. Juraj Slafkovsky is truly a player who can make a difference on the ice.

We were starting to see that in Montreal before he took off for Milan for the Games… but since the start of the Olympic tournament, Slaf has been on another planet.

He's one of the best players in the competition, to put it simply.

And Shawn P. Roarke, who writes for the NHL, admitted as much in a recent article: Slaf is the #1 target for every team when they're preparing their strategy.

Teams are starting to realize that they need to neutralize the giant forward to give themselves the best chance of winning.

They know that the youngster is dangerous on the ice at any moment… and that he can make a difference for his club. We haven't necessarily seen this form from Juraj Slafkovsky in recent years in Montreal.

But he really seems to have figured out how to do things the right way on the ice. And he's only 21…

Remember that Slaf will try to help his country defeat the mighty United States machine (who are the favorites to win gold) in the semifinals. If he plays as he has since the start of the tournament, Slovakia can hope to secure its ticket to the final… and that's when we understand how important he is to his team. He is probably the biggest X factor in the United States vs. Slovakia game. And that's crazy to say in a way, because it shows how good he is right now.


In a nutshell

– Well done.

– That was close!

— That would be really ideal.

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