If We Pull Together, I’m Convinced We Can Fight for Medals Again in Ostrava, Says Radovan Zelenka

Before the tournament, our coaches showed us a motivational video that gave me goosebumps

Radovan, after nine years, the World Championship will once again return to the Czech Republic, where in 2017 you won the world title with your national team. Do you still remember the emotions from Pardubice?

Of course, those emotions can’t be forgotten. It was an incredible tournament – from the first game to the final we felt that we were tuned as one team. The Slovak squad was probably the best team I’ve ever had the opportunity to play for. Incredible calm and confidence radiated from Stano Petrík in goal, which helped the whole team a lot, especially the newcomers who were playing their first World Championship. Before the tournament, our coaches showed us a motivational video that gave me goosebumps. The atmosphere in Pardubice was fantastic, Slovak fans created a truly home environment. What I remember most was the semifinal match against the host team – almost 7,600 spectators was a crowd I had never played in front of before, whether in ice hockey or ball hockey. Of course, the euphoria after the semifinal and the final was the highlight, but I have only the best memories of the entire tournament.

Slovakia has always regularly brought medals from major championships, but from the last two, in 2022 and 2024, none came home. What do you think needs to improve for you to succeed next year in Ostrava?

In recent years we have had a quality roster, but I think that in the key quarterfinal games we made game lapses in certain phases of the match. From there it’s about details – sometimes you also need a bit of sporting luck, but we can push that a little more, especially when it comes to finishing. It’s important that everyone embraces their role in the team and subordinates everything to team success. If we all pull together, I’m convinced that in Ostrava we can fight for medals again.

The Slovak team played two friendly matches with the Czech Republic in Boskovice in August, both ending in victories for the home side. How did you perceive those games?

Those matches were very useful for us. From my point of view, the Czech team is currently, along with Canada, at the top, and these are exactly the kinds of confrontations we need. The results were not favorable, but they showed us what we need to work on. I think they revealed both our strengths and weaknesses – and we now have to work on the weaker ones. Especially in the first game, we lagged behind in movement and aggressiveness and couldn’t get into the game. Some tougher words were spoken in the locker room, but I see it as a positive that everyone took it to heart and on Sunday we managed to bounce back and deliver a much better performance than in the first game.

Your coaching staff organizes regular training camps. How did the last one go, and what was its main focus?

The last camp was very intense, all four training sessions were carried out with great energy. We spent most of the time practicing game situations within the cooperation of the whole offense – we need to get that into our system if we want to be successful. I think the camp set everyone in the right direction and motivated us to keep working hard. The atmosphere was excellent, you could feel that everyone wanted to fight for a place on the team.

Overall, the emphasis on athletic preparation is getting stronger every year

The national team selection is very strong. How do you try to convince the coaches that you belong in the World Championship team?

The best way is clearly through performances on the rink. Since I’ve already played around twelve seasons in the Extraliga, I also try to support and guide the younger teammates in the locker room. Of course, the coaches evaluate not only statistics but also attitude and moral qualities. Individual conditioning training has long been a necessity for every player who has the ambition to fight for a national team jersey. Overall, the emphasis on athletic preparation is greater every year, and it’s necessary to adapt training accordingly.

When you enter the national team locker room, is there more healthy rivalry, or does cohesion among players from different clubs prevail?

Cohesion definitely prevails. Sure, there will always be some healthy rivalry – during the season we play against each other and everyone wants to win. But in the national team, we all pull together, and everything works in the locker room without problems. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve been so successful in the past. Everyone leaves their ego aside, and the team always comes first.

How do you perceive the younger generation of players who are now pushing into the national team? Do you feel them “breathing down your neck”?

Yes, I feel it, and that’s a good thing. At the camp in Boskovice, I looked around the locker room and noticed that Jožko Minárik was missing. When I realized that I was the oldest, I needed a moment to process it (laughs). But I take it as extra motivation – competition pushes each of us forward. The young guys are fast, technical, and full of energy; they have quality, which I especially saw in the performances of our U23 team at the World Championship in Hradec Králové. We older players can pass on our experience, and they, in turn, make sure we don’t rest on our laurels. If it’s combined properly, it can create a very strong team.

In Ostrava, an excellent atmosphere can be expected, not only thanks to Czech but also Slovak fans. Do you have any favorite memory of the fans – for example, a banner, chant, or moment that stuck in your mind?

No particular moment, but as I mentioned in the first answer, what stuck in my memory the most was the semifinal game against the Czech Republic. We didn’t deliver our best performance at the Worlds, but in difficult moments, Stano Petrík saved us. The noise in the arena was at such a level that I had to shout at my teammate next to me on the bench so he could hear me. Maybe an interesting moment from my perspective – I experienced the worst moments of my career in the penalty box. The referee sent me off about a minute before the end of overtime, so I had to watch the final power play and the entire shootout from the penalty box. I can laugh about it now, but when Jan Pospíšil hit the post with a few seconds left, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling – from the nerves I didn’t know whether to sit, stand, or do handstands and chew the boards (laughs).

Slovakia dominated the World Championship in Pardubice in 2017. How will it perform in Ostrava? Photo credit: René Lazový.