Bondra Will Be Watching

It isn't often that Peter Bondra speaks about hockey, but he usually has something interesting to say when he does. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com spent some time talking hockey with Bondra recently, and that interview went live today on the NHL's website. The majority of that conversation was about Slovakia and the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics, and Bondra, who is not involved with the Slovakian national team, gave his thoughts on his country's chances at the February tournament. For a guy who skated for the team in two Olympic Games and was the general manager for Slovakia's 2010 team in Vancouver, his insights into the Slovakian team heading to Italy for these Games were interesting. Let's see what he had to say!

Before we go too deep, it should be noted that former NHL forward Miroslav Satan is the man in charge of the Slovakian men's hockey entry in Milano-Cortina, and he's had to watch Slovakian star players like Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, and Marian Gaborik retire from the game. The fact that there aren't many NHL players of Slovakian descent may have some worried, but they should be able to ice a competitive team in Italy without a lot of NHL experience.

It could be difficult for hockey fans to name six current Slovakian players who would be on the short list for the Olympic team, but Satan named Tampa Bay Lightning defender Eric Cernak, Washington Capitals defender Martin Fehervary, New Jersey Devils defender Simon Nemec, Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, and former NHL forward and current Zug forward Tomas Tatar to the team on June 16, 2025.

How does Bondra feel about the country's chances without having a lot of NHL players available for the roster at the 2026 Olympics?

"Obviously, as Slovakia, we don't have as many NHL players like we used to have," Bondra said. "I remember when I was GM in 2010 in Vancouver, we had, I would say for Slovakia, an all-star team including players like Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, [Jaroslav] Halak. Now we are a little thinner, but that doesn't mean we cannot do well.

"We won the bronze medal the last Olympics. So, hey, obviously it will be tough, but I'm looking forward to it."

He's not wrong about Slovakia winning the bronze medal in Beijing, China in 2022, and that team featured some kid named Juraj Slafkovsky who scored seven goals along with former NHLer Tomas Jurco and current NHLer Simon Nemec on the blue line. They were also the second-youngest team at the 2022 Winter Olympics, so the youth movement on the Slovakian roster shouldn't surprise anyone.

Gulitti asked Bondra how he feels about Slovakia's chances.

"I think the team is going to do well. I'm not saying we're going to win a medal, but if we get close to it and be right there with Team USA, Canada and some of the other leaders in the hockey world, that will be fun to see the games where we'll be close or have some surprise results."

This is the part that everyone should note. Teams that have less stars and less pressure on them often play well at the Olympics. Slovakia finished third in Beijing in 2022, fourth in Vancouver in 2010, fifth in Turin in 2006, and will be looking for another solid finish in Italy. They're going to need a few bounces here and there if they want to stand on the podium, but no one should overlook Slovakia.

Having been the GM for Slovakia, what advice would he give Satan?

"It all depends how much time you have for preparation. I think he can take advantage because most of the players coming from Europe might have a little more time, maybe a couple of extra days. I remember going to Vancouver, really you had a day and a half with the players and we had one practice and went straight to the games. That's something that I wished we had more time. But at the same time, we just jumped into the games and maybe that helped us. I don't know. But I think Miro can be more prepared."

This is the crux of the entire Olympics experiment when it comes to the NHL sending its players - how fast can teams find chemistry? As much as Canada always seems to be gunning for a medal, having the right mix of players and staff matters in a short tournament where one loss can be the difference between an easier and a more difficult path to the medals is always in everyone's mind. Getting everyone on the same page is key, and Bondra's experience with having very little time is something that Satan should heed as Slovakia heads to Italy.

Obviously, there are some other good parts in Gulitti's interview with Bondra, but I thought that getting a little perspective about one country's Olympic chances from a guy who has played at and ran a team at the tournament would be good for everyone. We're 81 days away - yes, Marian Hossa days away - from the opening ceremonines in Milano-Cortina, and the hockey world will begin ramping up discussions over which players will be on teams, which ones should be going instead of others, and every other topic in between.

The world will fixate on Italy for two weeks in February when the NHL stars from twelve nations will gather to determine which country stands above the others. It sounds like it will be must-watch TV once again for most of the world, so one has to wonder if Peter Bondra will be watching and cheering on Slovakia in the tournament.

"There's no way I'm not going to watch," Bondra told Gulitti.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!