Slovakia men's national ice hockey team

The Slovak national team was formed following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, as the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While the Czechs were allowed to compete in the highest pool (A), the IIHF ruled that because fewer players of the former Czechoslovak team were Slovaks, Slovakia would be required to start international play in pool C. However, Slovakia's play in the lower pools won it promotion to pool A by 1996. See also Post-Cold War period of the IIHF world championships.

Slovakia's first appearance in an elite ice hockey competition was at 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. With a lineup led by star Peter Šťastný, the Slovaks finished first in their group with three wins and two ties before losing to Russia in overtime in the quarterfinals. In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Slovak team was unable to use its National Hockey League (NHL) players in the preliminary round due to a scheduling conflict. This affected all of the smaller countries, but devastated the Slovaks as most of their best players were from NHL teams. The NHL only shut down its schedule in time for the second group stage, and thus Slovakia failed to qualify among the final eight teams both times. This turn of events was troubling to the entire hockey community, and the rules were changed for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Slovak national team members and notable players have included Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Marián Hossa, Marián Gáborík, Marcel Hossa; Miroslav Šatan; goaltender Jaroslav Halák and the tallest player in NHL history, Zdeno Chára. In the late 1990s, the St. Louis Blues placed Ľuboš Bartečko, Michal Handzuš, and Pavol Demitra on the same line. This trio became known as the "Slovak Pack," and were able to communicate in their native language without the opposition knowing what they were saying, unless, of course, they also understood Slovak.

Following the successful years for the Slovaks in the early 2000s at the World Championship, when they won the silver in St. Petersburg at the 2000 edition after a loss to the Czechs, winning the (so far) only title in Goteburg at the 2002 edition and securing bronze in Helsinki (2003), the results of Slovakia worsened and Slovakia began to drop out in the quarterfinals. The closest Slovakia came to relegation into Division I was in 2008, when they avoided relegation only thanks to two victories over Slovenia in the Relegation Round. Following was a series of three subsequent eliminations in the qualifying round (round of 12), including one at a 2011 edition Slovakia hosted in Bratislava and Košice for the first time, since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

Largely unexpected, however, was Slovakia's silver medal at the 2012 edition, again won in Helsinki. This was the first tournament after the introduction of the new two group format, followed by the quarterfinals. Due to the surprise this medal was after number of unsuccessful tournaments, it was by many regarded as with a value of a triumphal gold. In the following years however, Slovakia again failed to repeat medal successes and even failed to qualify to the quarterfinals, with the exception of 2013.

In the Winter Olympic Games, Slovakia's highest achievement prior to 2022 was fourth place in Vancouver 2010. In the tournament they won against favourites Russia and Sweden, and lost against Canada in the semi-finals and against Finland in the bronze medal game. In 2022, the Slovaks claimed their first ever Olympic medal after defeating Sweden 4–0 in a bronze medal game.

The following table shows Slovakia's international record against other national teams from 1940 to 1945 and since 1993, correct as of 23 May 2023 after a match against Norway. Teams in italics are no longer actively competing. Overtime and game winning shot victories and losses are counted towards wins and losses.

Source:[10]

Opponent	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD
Austria	41	31	2	8	160	75	+85
Belarus	37	24	1	12	107	72	+35
Bulgaria	1	1	0	0	20	0	+20
Canada	51	20	4	27	145	158	−13
Croatia	1	1	0	0	6	1	+5
Czech Republic	73	16	7	50	147	253	−106
Denmark	22	16	0	6	87	44	+43
Finland	38	7	3	28	62	123	−61
France	34	26	3	5	149	62	+87
Germany	76	42	2	32	192	177	+15
Great Britain	5	5	0	0	29	7	+22
Hungary	8	6	0	2	50	19	+31
Italy	18	14	1	3	77	42	+35
Japan	5	5	0	0	39	12	+27
Kazakhstan	11	8	1	2	49	22	+27
Latvia	34	22	2	10	114	71	+43
Netherlands	2	2	0	0	24	4	+20
Norway	35	26	2	7	131	65	+66
Poland	7	6	1	0	41	11	+30
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia	1	0	0	1	0	12	−12
Romania	7	5	1	1	53	7	+46
Russia	34	9	5	20	72	108	−36
Slovenia	12	10	0	2	43	18	+25
South Korea	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1
Sweden	41	11	3	27	90	134	−44
Switzerland	77	32	7	38	189	179	−10
Ukraine	10	9	1	0	49	18	+31
United States	30	10	3	17	68	102	−34
Yugoslavia	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3
Total	713	366	49	298	2 199	1 798	+401

• National team jerseys
• 
  1994 Olympic jerseys
• 
  IIHF jerseys 1994
• 
  IIHF jerseys 1995
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  IIHF jerseys 1996, 1997
• 
  1998–2000 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2002 Olympic jerseys, 2001–2004 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2004 WCH jerseys
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  IIHF jerseys 2005
• 
  2006 Olympic jerseys, later used at IIHF tournaments 2006
• 
  IIHF jerseys 2007, 2008
• 
  2010 Olympic jerseys, 2009–2013 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2014 Olympic jerseys, later used at IIHF tournaments 2014–2017
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  2018 Olympic jerseys
• 
  2018–2021 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2022 Olympic jerseys
• 
  2022– IIHF jerseys

• List of players in Slovakia men's national ice hockey team
• Slovak Extraliga

• Official website
• IIHF profile
• National Teams of Ice Hockey