Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky Turning Olympic Opportunity Into Reality

Slovakia is upsetting the power dynamics at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. It was expected that the Slovaks, who are in a group with Finland and Sweden, would finish third in the group and probably bow out in the first round of the knockout stage. That’s just the way it was always going to go, as Finland and Sweden are just plain better than Slovakia. It’s tough, but it’s the truth. Supposedly, of course.

The second Slovakia stepped on the ice in its opening game against Finland on Feb. 11, it was evident that anything anybody thought about the way Group B was going to play out was plain wrong. The Finns were probably the most shocked of anyone as the Slovaks methodically took down the Nordic superpower 4-1. It was a statement victory, one that reverberated throughout the competition. They then followed it up with an impressive 3-2 win over host nation Italy.

Key in the triumphs over both Finland and Italy was Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky. His two goals and two assists, including the first score of the tournament versus Finland, set the stage for where Slovakia is right now: in contention for a gold medal. That might sound ludicrous, but it’s absolutely not. In hockey, a game that’s filled with randomness and absurdity, all it takes is a couple of things to go your way to climb to the mountaintop. Right now, Slafkovsky and Slovakia are experiencing just that. Their Olympic dreams are becoming reality right before their very eyes.

Slafkovsky and Slovakia’s Path to Greatness is Clear