Slovakia-The Real Truth

[12# Peter Bondra]

Now after the WC final and the end of the WC, Im gonna write some stuff about our team and staff which went there and nobody knows around here.

There are a lot of discussions on our boards that reveal some shocking news to me.

1. The players DIDNT train during the summer. Thats probably the main reason they were everywhere 2nd. Their first exercise was when they came to training camp and even then didnt really work out (see no.2)

2. During training camp, they went to pubs and cluns ad were up until 2 AM, which 2 weeks before the start isnt surely gonna help.

3. Filc and Stastny werent co-operating. They quarreled numerous times and when your GM and head coach quarrel = bad thing and off-ice problems= on ice problems.

4. No discipline. Zednik got his stomache ache when he went to dinner with his family the night before the CAN game! Where was the discipline? Players could have done whatever they wanted.

5. Bad luck. We had 4 players out before even the tourney started and as we dont have a lot of depth, they were serious exclusions.


Im not trying to say that we would win the tourney and MAYBE we would have lost every game but we lost these games horribly. There was no desire, no willingness to go into the corners, nothing.

If you want to ask, ask.

Click to read more...

 

[Teezax]

well these facts put things into context, they just looked real bad when everyone expected them to be the darh horse of the tournament.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

IMO, the players VASTLY underrated this tourney. Their egos (some players were good but most) must have been sky high. They maybe thought that they will come and the win the Cup easily with NO training. :

 

[H/H]

4. No discipline. Zednik got his stomache ache when he went to dinner with his family the night before the CAN game! Where was the discipline? Players could have done whatever they wanted.

I don't get this one. Going to dinner with your family is bad discipline?

 

[Canuck21t]

I don't get this. Here's finally a chance for Slovakia to show to the best in the world that they belong and what do they do? From now on, don't come and whine how it was unfair at the Olympics because you don't deserve it.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

I don't get this one. Going to dinner with your family is bad discipline?

I didnt mean bad discipline. The rest of the team ate together and he ate separately. I doubt any other teams players could go out and eat whatever they wanted. If he hadnt eaten then, he wouldnt have gotten the stomach infection, due to which he missed the CAN game.

 

[H/H]

Hockey players like any other workers in the world can do whatever the heck they want when they're off duty and going to eat with his family is a fairly sympathetic thing to do.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

I don't get this. Here's finally a chance for Slovakia to show to the best in the world that they belong and what do they do? From now on, don't come and whine how it was unfair at the Olympics because you don't deserve it.

Thats weird I agree. Up until the 2004 World Championships, we played with flair and grit. But from the 2004 World Championships, our team plays like if they dont want to be there or if they dont care if they win. I think our team needed this kind of lesson. I think they thought they would win easily but they didnt. I hope some changes are made. Too bad they didnt play like when we won the 2002 WC *sigh*. That was a heck of a team. Never stopped playing. Not like our 2004 World Cup Team. Only Cibak, Bartecko and Orszagh tried (and sometimes Gaborik). Everybody else didnt really care.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

Hockey players like any other workers in the world can do whatever the heck they want when they're off duty and going to eat with his family is a fairly sympathetic thing to do.

I understand your point. But he could have gone out AFTER thee game, not before but I made a bad example. But it is a lack of discipline if players during training camp go to clubs and be up until 3 AM. Thats isnt good in any way. Look at our WC teams. They arent allowed to meet their girl friends, wifes etc. until: a) they fall out in the quarters or b) they make the semis. Up until then they cant meet their families. But here they could.

 

[kjri]

I think Slovakia played with a wrong tactic. To me it looked like they were trying to play ultra-safe hockey.. They were just dumping the puck out and the opponents were playing it in. They have great attackers, but they didn't get the puck.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

I think Slovakia played with a wrong tactic. To me it looked like they were trying to play ultra-safe hockey.. They were just dumping the puck out and the opponents were playing it in. They have great attackers, but they didn't get the puck.

In one sentence: We played horribly.

 

[kjri]

In one sentence: We played horribly.

Naaah, but i think Slovakia did not play as well as was expected. At least what i expected. I think the reason was their game plan, but who knows.. That was my impression anyway.

 

[thrill_me_mogilny]

If players are out clubbing and doing whatever, wherever, whenever(who ever!) then the coach needs to bench them for not being part of the team. It's one thing to go and hang out, but teams generally have curfews.

 

[Dizzy]

I understand your point. But he could have gone out AFTER thee game, not before but I made a bad example. But it is a lack of discipline if players during training camp go to clubs and be up until 3 AM. Thats isnt good in any way. Look at our WC teams. They arent allowed to meet their girl friends, wifes etc. until: a) they fall out in the quarters or b) they make the semis. Up until then they cant meet their families. But here they could.

I don't know if you can use that as a reason the team did poorly. I don't know about all the players, but I know Draper's wife and two young kids were with him the whole time, even during training camp. I saw footage last week of Sakic about to go on the team bus with his kids in his arms. Other players had their families around during the tournament and they still managed to play well.

 

[e-e]

Now after the WC final and the end of the WC, Im gonna write some stuff about our team and staff which went there and nobody knows around here.

There are a lot of discussions on our boards that reveal some shocking news to me.

1. The players DIDNT train during the summer. Thats probably the main reason they were everywhere 2nd. Their first exercise was when they came to training camp and even then didnt really work out (see no.2)

2. During training camp, they went to pubs and cluns ad were up until 2 AM, which 2 weeks before the start isnt surely gonna help.

3. Filc and Stastny werent co-operating. They quarreled numerous times and when your GM and head coach quarrel = bad thing and off-ice problems= on ice problems.

4. No discipline. Zednik got his stomache ache when he went to dinner with his family the night before the CAN game! Where was the discipline? Players could have done whatever they wanted.

5. Bad luck. We had 4 players out before even the tourney started and as we dont have a lot of depth, they were serious exclusions.


Im not trying to say that we would win the tourney and MAYBE we would have lost every game but we lost these games horribly. There was no desire, no willingness to go into the corners, nothing.

If you want to ask, ask.

the real truth is that:

the GM blew it
the coach blew it
the players blew it
the whole campaign was blown by each member of slovak team.

period

no more excuses pls

 

[Canuck21t]

the real truth is that:

the GM blew it
the coach blew it
the players blew it
the whole campaign was blown by each member of slovak team.

period

no more excuses pls

Slovakia will bounce back. Sometime, a desaster is needed to snap out of their delusion. Before the Summit Series, Canada thought that no one could come close to its abilities. The Russians sure shook the Canadians. It happened again at the World Cup of '96 and then at Nagano. And look where Canada is now. Slovakia has a hockey tradition and you do produce very good players. All you need now is discipline and be strong mentally and never give up.

 

[Tinke]

There was no desire, no willingness to go into the corners, nothing.

That is sad

 

[Rogalo]

I don't get this one. Going to dinner with your family is bad discipline?

Sure. Under Tichonov

 

[H/H]

Sure. Under Tichonov

Tichonov rocks! Still laugh everytime I think about last years World Championships, when he called a time out and then just walked as far away from the players as possible and they just stood around looking at each other "What the...?" :lol

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

Slovakia will bounce back. Sometime, a desaster is needed to snap out of their delusion. Before the Summit Series, Canada thought that no one could come close to its abilities. The Russians sure shook the Canadians. It happened again at the World Cup of '96 and then at Nagano. And look where Canada is now. Slovakia has a hockey tradition and you do produce very good players. All you need now is discipline and be strong mentally and never give up.

I hope we bounce back.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

the real truth is that:

the GM blew it
the coach blew it
the players blew it
the whole campaign was blown by each member of slovak team.

period

no more excuses pls

Its not an excuse, just to shed some light.

 

[Rogalo]

Tichonov rocks! Still laugh everytime I think about last years World Championships, when he called a time out and then just walked as far away from the players as possible and they just stood around looking at each other "What the...?" :lol

Yeah. He´s a legend.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

I didnt mean bad discipline. The rest of the team ate together and he ate separately. I doubt any other teams players could go out and eat whatever they wanted. If he hadnt eaten then, he wouldnt have gotten the stomach infection, due to which he missed the CAN game.

you can't blame him for getting food poisoning, thats just simply unforseeable.