WILD HOCKEY CELEBRATIONS. Thousands of fans applauded the players in the streets of Bratislava after returning home from the Olympics – Bratislava.zoznam.sk

BRATISLAVA – Bronze medalists from the Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing returned home to Slovakia on Tuesday, where they were greeted with a grand welcome. They received applause after their arrival at Vienna’s Schwechat Airport, where they were greeted in the arrival hall by the first fans and autograph hunters. Subsequently, the bus with the players went to Bratislava, where they first had media responsibilities and then set out on a tour of the convertible bus around the city. The celebrations culminated in a program on the stage at SNP Square.

Slovakia is looking forward to a medal success at a big hockey event for the first time since the 2012 World Cup in Helsinki, where the representatives won silver. “I’m looking forward to it all. It’s been ten years since we last celebrated in the square, “ Miroslav Šatan, general manager of the national team and president of the Slovak Ice Hockey Association (SZĽH), who experienced silver success as a player 10 years ago, recalled. “I believe that the players will enjoy the celebrations, because except for Libor Hudáček, they will all experience them for the first time. I am glad that after ten years we have made a great hockey success and that people are looking forward to it again. Even though they have different problems in their lives, at the moment they can forget about it and enjoy hockey. ” Satan was the only one in all five medal successes of the Slovak Republic so far. During his playing career as a captain, the Slovak team led to historical gold at the 2002 World Championships in Gothenburg, he also has two silver medals in the collection (2000, 2012) and a bronze medal from the World Championships (2003).

He is enjoying the position of an official from the historically first Slovak medal at the Olympic Games, the head of the SZĽH and GM national team came to Beijing only during the Olympic tournament, and his arrival also gave the team a boost. “We officials did not receive a medal, but it is a great success of Slovak hockey and I am glad that I was able to be there and in what position. I’m very happy about that, “ at a news conference on Tuesday. “There were many doubters who did not trust the choice of coach and the philosophy we chose. Those who understand it a bit have seen a gradual improvement in our game, we have already played good matches at the home World Cup in 2019. The bronze medal is a satisfaction for all of us. I believe that skeptics will now believe in our work and that coaches will adopt a similar way of working in clubs. If the club methodologies copy something from the national team, it will help the whole Slovak hockey. “

There is a special interest in the meetings with the players, SZĽH officially responded to the media information that the national team avoided a meeting with the highest political representatives. “We appreciate the invitations of the highest constitutional officials, but due to time-organizational reasons, we could not accommodate them today. Therefore, we invited them to a joint lunch with the players after their arrival in Bratislava. The players have had an intercontinental flight for several hours, celebrations with fans are a priority for us, and therefore receptions on the grounds of constitutional officials were not currently possible. Representatives of the SZĽH management will be happy to accept their invitation in the coming days, “ mediated the union opinion Ľuboš Schwarzbacher, PR manager of SZĽH.

Slovak hockey players celebrated winning bronze medals at the Beijing Olympics with a ceremonial ride through the streets of Bratislava. They ended up in SNP Square, where they were welcomed by several thousand fans. A convertible bus with hockey players set off in front of the Ondrej Nepelu Arena into the streets of the Old Town. He headed for the waterfront, then returned to the Central Station and at 4.30 pm he arrived at the place where the celebrations of all the successes of the hockey team were traditionally held, including winning the 2002 World Cup in Gothenburg. However, the hockey players were able to share the precious metal with the supporters for the first time. Upon arrival, the players handed out scarves with the national team logo to those present. Members of the implementation team, including coach Craig Ramsey, were present on the podium. The best scorer of the tournament, seven-goal Juraj Slafkovský, received a big round of applause. “I put my form away for the right event. I am enjoying it. We have the best fans in the world, ” greeted the 17-year-old striker crowded the square.

The president of SZĽH Miroslav Šatan also spoke to the fans: “Thank you for coming to support the boys. We weren’t a bit lucky in the first matches of the tournament, but then it turned around. I would like you all to follow the example of the boys. I want you to fight like them, to be able to unite like them and be just as successful. ” The hockey players sang on the stage together with the fans “We are still guys”, the song “I love you” by Karel Duchoň, which the bronze team played during the matches at the Olympic Games, was also heard. “It’s wonderful how many people have come with us to celebrate this success. We won a medal for them as well. I’m glad to see so many people here. It’s something unreal that we’ve achieved, I’m proud of all of us, “ Miloš Kelemen confessed. The players admitted that they did not expect so many people to come to the streets to welcome them. “Something incredible. I didn’t expect so many people to come and support us. When I saw so many people in the square, tears welled up in my eyes. We didn’t know what the response would be. We didn’t expect this, “ said defender Mislav Rosandic.

Champagne splashed on the stage, and SZĽH Šatan, the head of SZĽH, also took a bubble shower. “I have never experienced anything like it. This can only be in Slovakia. Thank you for coming. ” Captain Hrivík bequeathed to the fans. “It simply came to our notice then. You could feel tired along the way, but as soon as we got on the podium, the energy returned immediately. We can be here all night. ” Libor Hudáček is the only Slovak player who has already experienced medal celebrations with fans in the streets. In 2012, he was part of the silver team at the World Championships in Helsinki. “It simply came to our notice then. However, there is a great atmosphere, we try to enjoy it, “ declared the 31-year-old forward, who ranks the Olympic bronze from Beijing among the greatest achievements in the history of Slovak hockey. “It’s as if we brought in the gold from the World Cup. I believe that we will bring another medal to Slovakia again in a few years. “