A Message From Slovakia

My friend Valerian Lukacko has a message for Canadian hockey fans tonight: Slovakia is going to win tonight because Slovakia has to win tonight.

From his English-language Slovakian hockey blog Sportovy blog:

I'm sorry to say this – but we deserve to play in the final more and we are going to put up a tremendous fight, trying to get the last glory (and also the biggest one) for proud country in the centre of Europe. So don´t expect us to give up that easily. We´re planning to win.

His note his actually more somber than you would expect. He, like most of his country, foresees tough years ahead as lack of funding has put the coming generation of Slovakian hockey in peril. This is their last chance, he fears, to celebrate great hockey in his country for many years.

Slovakia is a great hockey country, and hopefully their success on the world's biggest stage can help them to more success in the future. The IIHF and the NHL should be asking what they can do to help out.

Today Slovakia our enemy, a very dangerous enemy that Team Canada can not afford to take lightly. I have a return message to all the Slovakian fans watching in the wee hours of the morning: It's a great day for hockey!