Can we consider Stan Mikita as a Slovak player?

[begbeee]

I ask a question. I don't know the answer. I'm just curious.

Imagine Mikita's situation in different circumstance. There is no communism in Czechoslovakia. Well, there is no Czechoslovakia, only Slovak Republic. Would he play for Canada or for Slovaks?

 

[Killion]

One of my all time favorites. Stan could play for Team Canada, Team USA or Team Slovakia, and in his prime circa early 60's would be a first liner on any team in my book.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

He's actually a Canadian hockey player and the only thing German about him is the fact that played for Team Germany.

Aside from being ethnically German you mean, a fact that outside North America matters a lot more than most people realize.

 

[TheJudge]

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

From birth to 8 years old constitutes the most important years of ones life? Yikes, I'm way over the hill in my late 20's.

 

[Brooklanders*]

Canada loves to claim Stan as one of their own because he was such a great player but he is not a Canadian and never was.

 

[kmad]

Canada loves to claim Stan as one of their own because he was such a great player but he is not a Canadian and never was.

It's pretty standard for a player to be associated with their country of hockey training despite their heritage. Olaf Kolzig seems to be the exception.

 

[Hardyvan123]

He's about as Slovakian as Bob Nystrom is Swedish.

The HHoF might go by place of birth, but I have a hard time considering anyone who has received his entire hockey "education" in Canada as a Slovak or Swedish hockey player, particularly not if they did not play for those national teams.

Exactly or else Rod Langway would have been the centerpiece of the Taiwanese national hockey team.

 

[Hardyvan123]

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.

He came to Canada when he was 8, and no matter what you call him or he calls himself it would be really weird to consider him anything but a Canadian hockey player if he never played the game before he came to Canada.

Technically everyone genetically comes form a humanoid named "Eve" even though there were other humanoids around at the time and these types of discussions can get really trivial fast can't they?

 

[Killion]

Technically everyone genetically comes form a humanoid named "Eve"...

Huh. "Eve". I've never taken you for a Creationist HV. None of your posts ever indicated such. Do you hale from Abbotsford or 100Mile perhaps?... Im shocked.

 

[MadArcand]

He came to Canada when he was 8, and no matter what you call him or he calls himself it would be really weird to consider him anything but a Canadian hockey player if he never played the game before he came to Canada.

If you actually bothered to read the thread, including those posts made a year ago, you'd see I consider him a Canadian as hockey player. But that doesn't make him a Canadian person, unlike a 10th generation Italian born in Canada.

 

[Theokritos]

Aside from being ethnically German you mean, a fact that outside North America matters a lot more than most people realize.

Joe Sakic is ethnically Croatian, so what?

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Joe Sakic is ethnically Croatian, so what?

And there's probably Croats who would claim him as one of their own. It happens all the time.

 

[Brooklanders*]

And there's probably Croats who would claim him as one of their own. It happens all the time.

Simply put Stan Mikita is one of the greatest Slovakian born players of all time and is a Hall of Famer.

 

[Theokritos]

And there's probably Croats who would claim him as one of their own. It happens all the time.

Sure, but in a Hockey Context, what does it matter? Croats claim Sakic as one of their own and for the Rest of the World he's Canadian.

 

[espo*]

In all likelihood he would play for Canada.

He is of Slovakian heritage but he was only there until he was 8 years of age, he learned to love the game of Hockey here not in slovakia, he is what he is because the majority of his life was spent and nurtured here..........he's Canadian any way you slice it, if he wasn't he would have gone back to Slovakia and would be living there now most likely.

No problem with recognizing his ethnic heritage, he has every reason to be proud of it much as I am of My Scottish/Irish/French background but make no mistake I'm Canadian.

And so is Mikita, his situation is nowhere near like Peter Stastny I think we can all agree on that.

No question, given the choice ............he would have played for Canada.

After all, that is really what he was/is.

Imagine Mikita's situation in different circumstance. There is no communism in Czechoslovakia. Well, there is no Czechoslovakia, only Slovak Republic. Would he play for Canada or for Slovaks?[/QUOTE]

 

[jasooon]

I met Stan Mikita 8 years ago and he said that he considers himself Slovak, his parents were Slovaks and that he tries to come to Slovakia with his wife to visit family as often as possible, although it's not always easy....
This is a proof: http://jason.wz.cz/MIKITA.JPG