The Most Famous

HOCKEY PLAYERS from Slovakia

This page contains a list of the greatest Slovak Hockey Players. The pantheon dataset contains 676 Hockey Players, 19 of which were born in Slovakia. This makes Slovakia the birth place of the 7th most number of Hockey Players behind United States, and Czechia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Slovak Hockey Players of all time. This list of famous Slovak Hockey Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Slovak Hockey Players.

1. Stan Mikita (1940 - 2018)

With an HPI of 51.25, Stan Mikita is the most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

Stanley Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth; May 20, 1940 – August 7, 2018) was a Slovak-born Canadian ice hockey player for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. In 1961, he became the first Slovak-born player to win the Stanley Cup.

2. Ladislav Troják (1914 - 1948)

With an HPI of 46.33, Ladislav Troják is the 2nd most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Ladislav Troják (15 June 1914 – 8 November 1948) was the first Slovak ice hockey player in the national team of Czechoslovakia and also the first Slovak hockey player with a title of World Champion (1947 World Championship). Troják wore the number 9. He died on 8 November 1948 during an aircraft accident over the English Channel, along with five other members of the Czechoslovak national team. He was posthumously inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2011.

3. Pavol Demitra (1974 - 2011)

With an HPI of 40.89, Pavol Demitra is the 3rd most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Pavol Demitra (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈpaʋɔl ˈdemitra]; 29 November 1974 – 7 September 2011) was a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He played nineteen seasons of professional hockey, for teams in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League (CSL), National Hockey League (NHL), Slovak Extraliga (SVK), and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). A skilled offensive player, Demitra was a top-line forward throughout his career. After a season with HC Dukla Trenčín in the CSL, Demitra was selected 227th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He subsequently left Slovakia to join the Senators organization, spending three seasons split between team and their American Hockey League affiliate. A contract holdout at the start of the 1996–97 season saw Demitra traded to the St. Louis Blues. Demitra had his most successful seasons with St. Louis, being selected for three NHL All-Star Games and winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2000. He scored at least 30 goals three times and 90 points once while with the Blues. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Demitra returned to HC Dukla Trenčín for, and upon returning to the NHL the following year, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. After one season with Los Angeles, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he played for two further seasons before signing with the Vancouver Canucks, and spent his last two NHL seasons with the team. In 2010 Demitra signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL, playing one season there before dying in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that involved most of the team prior to the 2011–12 KHL season. Internationally, Demitra played in junior tournaments with the Czechoslovak national junior team. He won a gold medal at the 1992 IIHF European U18 Championship and a bronze medal at the 1993 IIHF World U20 Championship. After the country split in 1993, Demitra began competing for Slovakia. Beginning in 1996, he played in six IIHF World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2003 and captaining his country in 2011. He also played in the 1996 and 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Demitra also played in three Winter Olympics: 2002, 2006 (where he was captain of the Slovak team), and 2010, where he led all scorers in points and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.

4. Zdeno Chára (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 38.22, Zdeno Chára is the 4th most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Zdeno Chára (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈzdenɔ ˈxaːra]; born 18 March 1977) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 24 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals between 1997 and 2022. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, Chára is the tallest person ever to play in the NHL, earning him the nickname "Big Z". Chára served as the Bruins' captain for all of his fourteen seasons with the franchise, from 2006 to 2020. He won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenceman in 2009, becoming the first Slovak player to do so, and the second European player after Nicklas Lidström. In 2011, 2013 and 2019 Chára captained the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals, winning in 2011. He is one of four European-born and raised captains to lead his team to the Stanley Cup championship, and the first to be born and trained in the Eastern Bloc. In 2022, Chára played in his 1,652nd NHL game, making him the league's all-time leader in games played by a defenceman.

5. Marián Hossa (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 37.32, Marián Hossa is the 5th most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Marián Hossa (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmarijaːn ˈɦɔsa]; born 12 January 1979) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger. Hossa was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round, 12th overall, of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. After spending his first seven NHL seasons with the Senators, he played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks. Over the course of his career, he made five NHL All-Star Game appearances and played in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams, finally winning the Stanley Cup in 2009–10 with Chicago. He won two additional Stanley Cup championships with Chicago during the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons. Hossa's playing career ended prematurely in 2017, when he announced he was suffering from a progressive skin disorder. His contract was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in 2018 and he formally retired in 2022. Hossa accumulated 525 goals and 609 assists for 1,134 points in 1,309 regular-season games over his 19-year NHL career. He was the 44th player in NHL history to score 500 goals, and the 80th player to score 1,000 points. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.

6. Miroslav Šatan (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 37.06, Miroslav Šatan is the 6th most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Miroslav Šatan (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmirɔslaw ˈʂatan]; born 22 October 1974) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger, who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), five in the Tipos Extraliga, and three in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Šatan was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019.

7. Žigmund Pálffy (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 36.86, Žigmund Pálffy is the 7th most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Žigmund "Ziggy" Pálffy (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈʐiɡmunt ˈpaːlfi]; born 5 May 1972) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey player. Along with his English nickname, he was nicknamed "Žigo" in Slovak. One of the most talented wingers, Pálffy played in the NHL for 12 years with the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1993 and 2006. He announced his retirement in January 2006, and his comeback from retirement in the summer of 2007. Pálffy signed a contract to play for his boyhood club HK 36 Skalica in the 2007–08 season and continued to do so until the end of his career. He also retracted his decision from 2005 never to play for the Slovak national team again by participating at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where he was also the flagbearer. In July 2013, he announced his definite retirement. Pálffy was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019.

8. Róbert Švehla (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 34.53, Róbert Švehla is the 8th most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Róbert Švehla ( SVAY-lə, Slovak: [ˈrɔːbert ˈʂʋeɦla]; born January 2, 1969) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL for 9 seasons from 1995 until 2003 for the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs.

9. Marcel Hossa (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 34.23, Marcel Hossa is the 9th most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Marcel Hossa (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmartsel ˈɦɔsa]; born 12 October 1981) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey left winger. Hossa previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes, having been drafted by the Canadiens in the first round, 16th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Hossa has also played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for Dinamo Riga, Ak Bars Kazan and Spartak Moscow. Internationally, Hossa has represented Slovakia on several occasions, including at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Hossa's older brother is Marián Hossa, also a professional ice hockey player, who is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and a member of Hockey Hall of Fame.

10. Július Hudáček (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 34.19, Július Hudáček is the 10th most famous Slovak Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Július Hudáček (born 9 August 1988) is a Slovak ice hockey professional goaltender currently playing for Löwen Frankfurt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

People

Pantheon has 32 people classified as Slovak hockey players born between 1914 and 2004. Of these 32, 28 (87.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Slovak hockey players include Zdeno Chára, Marián Hossa, and Miroslav Šatan. The most famous deceased Slovak hockey players include Stan Mikita, Ladislav Troják, and Pavol Demitra. As of April 2024, 13 new Slovak hockey players have been added to Pantheon including Ladislav Troják, Róbert Švehla, and Ľubomír Višňovský.