Can we consider Stan Mikita as a Slovak player?

[canucks4ever]

As a player: canadian, ethnicity is obviously slovak. He speaks the language and visits the country.

 

[Gump Hasek]

The only way to find this out is to ask Stan Mikita if he considers himself Canadian or Slovakian.

I think he pretty much already answered that question with both his citizenship papers and his donning of the Canadian National Team sweater.

 

[MadArcand]

The only way to find this out is to ask Stan Mikita if he considers himself Canadian or Slovakian.

Well, he did claim himself to be Slovak, but I'm pretty sure he also considers himself a Canadian too (would be weird not to).

In the linked article, he says: "I was born in Czechoslovakia in 1940 and came to Canada as 8-year old with my uncle and aunt, who adopted me. I knew only one word in English, my name changed from Stanislav to Stanley. I proudly say, that I'm Slovak."

 

[rick3652]

Well, he did claim himself to be Slovak, but I'm pretty sure he also considers himself a Canadian too (would be weird not to).

In the linked article, he says: "I was born in Czechoslovakia in 1940 and came to Canada as 8-year old with my uncle and aunt, who adopted me. I knew only one word in English, my name changed from Stanislav to Stanley. I proudly say, that I'm Slovak."

I played Golf with Stan Mikita three years ago and he tells the story that when in the 60's he was leading the league in scoring and the newpapers were saying he was from Czechslovakia his father would show him and tell him Stan you are from Slovak and ask him why he is not correcting the newspaper. So to answer your question Stan Mikita is from Slovak and is proud to be. He be came a Canada Citizens and was able to play for team Canada which he did.

 

[JackSlater]

Citizenship doesn't really define you as anything, it's just a paper. Stastny isn't Canadian if he's Canadian citizen.

Mikita is Slovak and Canadian both. As a player however, he's just Canadian.

I agree. To me there is a difference between nationality and hockey nationality. Since I only know Stan Mikita as a hockey player I could not care less where he was born or what he considers his nationality to be. Those factors may be important to who he is as a person but matter little in terms of hockey. The deciding factor in hockey nationality for me is where a player spent their formative hockey development years.

 

[blogofmike]

Mikita learned to play hockey in Canada, and because of that he is a product of Canadian hockey. When it comes to which country a player is from in the hockey sense this is by far the biggest factor to me.

After the 96 World Cup, I guess it's less of a factor for Brett Hull
Not only did half of the elite Canadian players skip the World Cup, but the Canadian-born and trained leading scorer was playing for Team USA.

 

[Stephen]

Funny enough, Petr Nedved also played for Canada...

 

[Brooklanders*]

In my opinion Stan is and will always be a Slovak

 

[kmad]

Agreeing with the poster who said that as a hockey player your nationality should lie with where you received your hockey education. Mikita is Canadian, Kolzig is Canadian, Regehr is Canadian, Hull is Canadian, Bondra is Slovakian, Heatley is Canadian, etc.

Kolzig plays for Germany because he can, but for all intents and purposes he should be considered a Canadian hockey player - especially when you consider the fact that Kolzig himself thought he was Canadian until he tried to play for the Canadian world junior team and was told his passport (and citizenship) was actually German.

 

[alko]

Funny enough, Petr Nedved also played for Canada...

Peter Stastny too.

 

[begbeee]

Mikita is Slovak, especially when he claim this himself. He was born here, his parents were slovaks and he is proud of it. However I donot list his records as slovak player s records, If it makes sense to you.

 

[Theokritos]

Mikita is Slovak, especially when he claim this himself. He was born here, his parents were slovaks and he is proud of it. However I donot list his records as slovak player s records, If it makes sense to you.

It makes a lot of sense. In fact it's the most senseful differentiation in this case.

 

[Zine]

Agreeing with the poster who said that as a hockey player your nationality should lie with where you received your hockey education. Mikita is Canadian, Kolzig is Canadian, Regehr is Canadian, Hull is Canadian, Bondra is Slovakian, Heatley is Canadian, etc.

Kolzig plays for Germany because he can, but for all intents and purposes he should be considered a Canadian hockey player - especially when you consider the fact that Kolzig himself thought he was Canadian until he tried to play for the Canadian world junior team and was told his passport (and citizenship) was actually German.

I think citizenship still matters when considering "hockey nationality". Regardless of Kolzig being trained in Canada, I can't consider him Canadian if he isn't a citizen.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

as others have said, to me it's not where you were born, which passport(s) you hold, or even who you represent in intl competition, but where you mostly were trained. therefore, peter stastny is slovak, nedved is czech, trottier and brett hull and deadmarsh are canadian, alex steen and sandstrom are swedish, etc.

the grey area is soviet born players who represented russia but were born in soviet states that were not russia. kasparaitis, nabokov, and tverdovsky are examples. i don't know enough about where they played minor hockey and how early they were funnelled into the centralized soviet hockey apparatus (based in russia) to say whether these guys can be considered russian, as opposed to irbe, ozolinsh, zhitnik, etc.

 

[cupface52]

Born in Slovakia? Slovakian parents? Grew up in a Slovakia culture? Most important years of his life in Slovakia? He's Slovakian.

 

[begbeee]

as others have said, to me it's not where you were born, which passport(s) you hold, or even who you represent in intl competition, but where you mostly were trained. therefore, peter stastny is slovak, nedved is czech, trottier and brett hull and deadmarsh are canadian, alex steen and sandstrom are swedish, etc.

the grey area is soviet born players who represented russia but were born in soviet states that were not russia. kasparaitis, nabokov, and tverdovsky are examples. i don't know enough about where they played minor hockey and how early they were funnelled into the centralized soviet hockey apparatus (based in russia) to say whether these guys can be considered russian, as opposed to irbe, ozolinsh, zhitnik, etc.

And that mean you have flaws in your theory. Many posters are tryin' to suggest there is something called a "hockey nationality". WTF is that?
Mikita is Slovak by any meanings. Deal with it. I do not list his records as records of Slovak hockey player, but he is Slovak.
Arturs Irbe would feel offended if you've called him russian. He cryied when Latvians won over Russia and called that his best hockey day in his life. You would not hear that from Mikita if there was such matchup.

 

[jigglysquishy]

Where you're trained is what matters. That's why I consider both Mikita and Brett Hull Canadians.

 

[Sanderson]

In the linked article, he says: "I was born in Czechoslovakia in 1940 and came to Canada as 8-year old with my uncle and aunt, who adopted me. I knew only one word in English, my name changed from Stanislav to Stanley. I proudly say, that I'm Slovak."

Technically, he's actually wrong with the first part of that statement, there was no Czechoslovakia in 1940, only the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia as part of Germany and the independant Republic of Slovakia.

I'd say in the case of Mikita, mentioning both contries is fine. You certainly can't ignore his heritage, he's a born Slovakian, and if he says that he considers himself to be Slovak, you can't ignore that. But you also can't ignore that he learned to play hockey in Canada. So when it comes to Mikita the hockey player, it's not wrong to mention Canada's influence.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

And that mean you have flaws in your theory. Many posters are tryin' to suggest there is something called a "hockey nationality". WTF is that?
Mikita is Slovak by any meanings. Deal with it. I do not list his records as records of Slovak hockey player, but he is Slovak.
Arturs Irbe would feel offended if you've called him russian. He cryied when Latvians won over Russia and called that his best hockey day in his life. You would not hear that from Mikita if there was such matchup.

what you are saying is exactly what i meant. i assumed that it was obvious i meant x players are of y nationality as hockey players, not as human beings.

so mikita is slovak by many meanings, but not all. as you say, as a hockey player, he is canadian not slovakian (hence his totals not being in your "slovakian" hockey record books).

as for the soviet/latvian/khakstani/lithuanian problem, i don't know where to draw that line. i'm curious is there are posters here familiar enough with the soviet and post-soviet hockey bureaucracies that can shed light.

i know a few things about the baltic independence movements in '89 and later, and i totally get why irbe would never consider himself russian. he had to play for the red army as soviet tanks were invading riga and he hated wearing the soviet symbol on his jersey. but why would kasparatis, a lithuanian whose independence movement was also met by soviet military violence (see: the massacre of '91), not feel the same way? i have no idea.

 

[markrander87]

Is Rod Langway considered Taiwanese?

 

[Hawksfan2828]

Citizenship doesn't really define you as anything, it's just a paper. Stastny isn't Canadian if he's Canadian citizen.

Mikita is Slovak and Canadian both. As a player however, he's just Canadian.

Interesting.

I'm an Italian born in the United States, yet If I wanted to I could apply for Italian citizenship and it would be granted given the fact I'm ethically Italian, hence if I wanted to, I could play for Team Italy despite the fact I've never been to Italy...

I would certainly call myself an American first and would have no desire to play for Team Italy if I was a player. Honestly I would find it bizarre if I was a player and Italians were championing my name.

I'm sure Mikita is flattered but I'm certain he just views himself as a Canadian just as much as I view myself as a US citizen...

 

[Hawksfan2828]

Is Rod Langway considered Taiwanese?

I was actually going bring Langway into this discussion, I suppose you beat me to it...

Isn't Scott Gomez Mexican but born in Alaska??

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Interesting.

I'm an Italian born in the United States, yet If I wanted to I could apply for Italian citizenship and it would be granted given the fact I'm ethically Italian, hence if I wanted to, I could play for Team Italy despite the fact I've never been to Italy...

I would certainly call myself an American first and would have no desire to play for Team Italy if I was a player. Honestly I would find it bizarre if I was a player and Italians were championing my name.

I'm sure Mikita is flattered but I'm certain he just views himself as a Canadian just as much as I view myself as a US citizen...

Actually, you couldn´t. Please check IIHF´s eligibility rules for players with dual citizenship/players changing citizenships: http://www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship-oc09/home/iihf-eligibility.html

 

[Hawksfan2828]

Actually, you couldn´t. Please check IIHF´s eligibility rules for players with dual citizenship/players changing citizenships: http://www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship-oc09/home/iihf-eligibility.html

Italy would certainly grant me citizenship on request..

I suppose that was my point.

Just because I have a right to be an Italian citizen doesn't make me any less of a US citizen or anymore Italian. I'm certainly an "American."

I could only assume thats how Mikita views himself.. He's a Canadian who just happens to have Slovak heritage.

 

[MadArcand]

Italy would certainly grant me citizenship on request..

I suppose that was my point.

Just because I have a right to be an Italian citizen doesn't make me any less of a US citizen or anymore Italian. I'm certainly an "American."

I could only assume thats how Mikita views himself.. He's a Canadian who just happens to have Slovak heritage.

You do realize that he wasn't born in Canada, do you? Your comparison to 2nd (or n-th) generation Italian born in the US is off.