Peter Stastny has always been very close to his native Slovakia and watches with great pride as Juraj Slafkovsky takes off with the Canadian. In the eyes of the most memorable Slovakian player in history, his young compatriot has everything it takes to be among the best in the NHL.

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The diary spoke to Stastny last week when the death of former Nordiques Deputy General Manager Gilles Léger became public.

Since we don’t often have the opportunity to chat with the great Peter, it is impossible not to talk about other interesting topics with the man who delighted Quebec hockey fans in the 1980s, at the heart of the Canadian-Scandinavian rivalry.

Moreover, Stastny laughed out loud when we asked him if it would hurt him too much to talk about a young talent wearing the colors of the team that has long been his arch-enemy.

“Forget it!” he joked before lunging at Slafkovsky.

“I speak of Slaf first of all as a Slovak. And I have to say, even though we hated the Canadian on the ice, this organization always had a lot of class,” recalled the now 67-year-old before bringing out the censer.

A rare talent

Stastny spied on Slafkovsky before the famous 2022 draft, in which three Slovaks were selected in the first round.

“I’ve watched him since I was 17, when they brought him into the national team at the World Cup and the Olympics. He’s had some lucky goals, it happens, but what I loved about him and what I still love is that it’s not a coincidence.

“He puts himself in a position to score and create something out of nothing because he’s always fighting. He has good vision and therefore can move well with the puck. Having it all together is an extraordinary gift of life. He has everything to become an elite player in the NHL,” he analyzed.

Photo credit: AFP

From the heart to the stomach

Like everyone else, Stastny saw Slafkovsky struggle in his rookie year, when he scored just four goals and 10 points in 39 games, but he says he still believed the youngster would blossom, which he did last winter, scoring 20 goals and 50 points.

“He can be a generational talent,” said the former Nordiques captain.

“His potential is immense. When I look at him, I still see some flaws, but what I love most is his character and his will. You can have all the skills in hockey, but if you don’t have heart, you won’t get far. Maybe he doesn’t have all the skills that some great players have, but he is so hardworking that it makes up for it,” said the man who was also known for his hardworking heart.

“In that sense, he reminds me of Zdeno Chara,” Stastny added in an interesting comparison.

“He may not have been the most talented, but because he was determined, persistent and worked hard every day, he improved a lot throughout his career. I know he doesn’t play that position, but Slafkovsky reminds me of that determination.”

A hero at home

Although Stastny has lived in the St. Louis area for several years, he remains very attached to his Slovakia.

He is happy that ice hockey seems to be growing in this country that is so dear to his heart and assures that the enthusiasm for this sport in his homeland will make Slafkovsky one of the heroes of this nation.

“Hockey is the most popular sport in Slovakia. Slafkovsky is at least as popular in our country as he is in Montreal. All journalists love him and even though hockey does not have as much media coverage as in Montreal, he is clearly the most popular athlete in Slovakia today,” he says.

I am glad that his 43-year-old record has fallen

Photo credit: Getty Images via AFP

As a proud participant, Peter Stastny was of course pleased to hold a franchise record since the 1981-1982 season, but he couldn’t be happier that the one who took the throne from him was Nathan MacKinnon.

43 years ago, Stastny had a phenomenal 139-point season for the Nordiques. Since then, no one has come close to that mark, neither in Quebec nor in Colorado.

In fact, Stastny himself came closest a season later with 124 points.

MacKinnon, for his part, had only surpassed the 100-point mark once in 2022-2023 before exploding with 140 points last season, setting the franchise record.

“My record lasted for over 40 years. It’s not that bad,” Statsny giggled heartily.

“You see a guy like Nathan once or twice a generation. “He’s on the same level as McDavid and there’s no limit to what he can achieve,” he praised.

Long pursued

It’s fair to say that Stastny has witnessed MacKinnon’s rise to stardom in the NHL first hand. His son Paul was with the Avalanche when MacKinnon, a promising young rookie, joined the team in 2013-14.

“He is an incredible player. I have followed his development because my son played with him. I have seen him make excellent progress. It’s a cliché, but we always say that records are there to be broken and that’s true,” he said.

Stastny therefore did not miss the opportunity to congratulate his heir to the throne when the record was broken on April 19.

“My son Yan works for the Avalanche on television. I wrote Nathan a message and Yan delivered it to him. Nathan responded and we had these indirect conversations. Nathan is very humble and a special young man with the right values ​​in the right place.”