Reigning Olympics MVP Juraj Slafkovsky disrespected by Team Slovakia
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Juraj Slafkovsky basically won the bronze medal for Slovakia by himself in 2022, but apparently, that doesn't buy you a letter in 2026.
The news out of Milan today is a total joke.
Tomas Tatar gets the captaincy while Erik Cernak and Martin Fehervary take the alternate spots for the upcoming Olympics.
Where is the kid who was the Olympic MVP?
Slafkovsky is currently torching the NHL with 21 goals and 45 points in 57 games for the Montreal Canadiens.
He is the literal face of the program and the biggest star the country has produced in decades.
He isn't just some prospect anymore.
He is a superstar with a massive $7.6 million cap hit who carries the Habs on his back every single night.
The price of telling the truth
Remember when this 6'3'' mountain ripped the Slovakian hockey federation in the press?
He didn't hold back in that interview, calling out the corruption and the 'old boys' club' that holds the country back.
Slafkovsky said the system was broken and filled with nepotism.
The suit-and-tie crowd in Bratislava didn't take it well.
They told him he was 'too young' to have an opinion and needed to focus on his own game.
Now they're trying to put him in his place on the world stage by leaving him out of the leadership group.
It's a petty move that smells like a middle school grudge from a group of executives who can't handle a 21-year-old speaking the truth.
Tatar is a legend, but he's currently playing in Switzerland while Slafkovsky is burying pucks against the best in the world.
Fehervary has just 20 points in 58 games for Washington this season.
You don't ignore your best player just because he hurt your feelings in the newspaper.
Slovakia needs Slafkovsky to win, but the federation would rather protect their bruised egos than give the team its true leader.
Don't be surprised if this backfires when the puck drops in Milan.
Good luck winning gold with a locker room that knows the best player in the country just got robbed.
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