Well-known sportsmen
Andrej Meszároš
Andrej Meszároš is a defenceman. He is 182 cm tall and weighs 82 kg (data from 2006). He is a graduate of Dukla Trenčín, for whom he played in the Slovak Ice Hockey Extra League in the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons. In 2004 he was drafted to the NHL Ottawa Senators in the first round, ranked 23rd. In the 2004/05 season, he played for Vancouver Giants farm-team in the WHL. Before the 2005/06 season, he signed a contract with Ottawa with an annual income of $984,200, which is an unusually high amount for a newcomer to the NHL. In the first preparation game in his Ottawa sweater, against Toronto Maple Leafs, he gave a good performance, scored his first goal for Ottawa and, receiving the number 14, became a regular player for Ottawa. He did very well in his opening season. He didn’t miss any of the 82 games and after the regular season, he finished third in the entire NHL with an evaluation of +/- 34 points (he achieved one point less than his teammates Wade Redden and Michal Rozsíval, and the same number of points as the Czech megastar Jaromír Jágr).
Representing the national team
Andrej Meszároš, wearing the Slovak sweater, was awarded a silver medal in 2003 in the Under 18 World Championships. In the senior category, he represented Slovakia in the 2004 World Championships, the World Championships in 2006 and the Winter Olympic Games in 2006 in Turin. He has played 23 games for Slovakia. He also wears sweater number 14 on the national team.
Winter Olympic Games 2006
In the 2006Winter Olympic Games, Slovakia finished in fifth place. After excellent performances in their basic group, which they won without losing a point, Slovakia was knocked out in the quarter-final by the Czech Republic. Andrej Meszároš created a defending partnership with Zdeno Chára and ranked amongst the defensive pillars of the team. He scored two points on assists and in the plus/minus evaluation he ranked amongst the best players.
World Championships 2006
After Ottawa were knocked out of the play-offs, Andrej Meszároš strengthened the Slovak national team in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, and played in the quarter final against Canada.
Marek Svatoš
Marek Svatoš is a forward, playing right wing. He is 180cm tall and weighs 82kg (data from 2006). He grew up playing ice hockey in Košice. Later he played in the junior WHL competition, where from 2000/01; he played for the club, Kootenay Ice. In 2001, in the initial NHL draft, he was chosen by Colorado Avalanche in the 7th round, 227th overall. He became a regular player for Colorado in the 2003/04 season. Then he injured his arm and needed an operation. He came back at the end of the season, playing only a few games but showing his talent for scoring goals. During 2004/05 NHL lockout, he played for Colorado’s farm club, the Hershey Bears in AHL. For the 2005/06 season, he signed a contract with Colorado for $450,000 and wore sweater number 40. The beginning of the season was very successful for him. He immediately scored in his first game followed that up with his first NHL hat trick. Before the Olympic break, he managed to put 32 goals behind the opponent’s goalkeeper, making him the leader amongst Slovak scorers. Together with team captain, Joe Sakic, he became the team’s leading scorer. At the beginning of March, he suffered an injury to his right arm and the season was over for him.
Representing the national team
Marek Svatoš was the best scorer in the Under 20 World Championships in 2002. In the senior Slovak national team, he was christened at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin. He wears sweater number 40 for the national team.
Winter Olympic Games 2006
In the Winter Olympic Games in 2006, Slovakia finished in fifth place. After excellent performances in their basic group, which Slovakia won without the loss of a point, Slovakia was knocked out in the quarter final by the Czech Republic. Marek Svatoš arrived from the NHL in excellent form for the Olympic Games, where he ranked amongst the best newcomers to the competition.
