Slovakia has been gripped by ice hockey fever as it prepares to stage the world championships and not even the shadow of the NHL playoffs or the sorry state of the sport locally has dampened enthusiasm.Statues of painted players have been positioned across Bratislava
and cars decorated with flags, stickers and scarves as local fans hope that their team, ranked eighth in the world, can somehow win the title for only the second time.
"It will be a big feast for the country, for sure," Slovak player Pavol Demitra told Reuters.
Demitra, once one of the NHL's most consistently productive players and leading scorer at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, said expectations would be high but declined to make any predictions on Slovakia's chances.
"I will not bet on anyone. I did that once and we lost everything," said the 36-year-old.
The annual event, which starts Friday, clashes with the climax of the NHL season and is likely to come off a poor second in its battle for a share of the limelight and the presence of the top players.
Although Slovakia boast names such as New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik and Anaheim's Lubomir Visnovsky, critics say they have failed to replace the golden generation of nine years ago.
"Everybody says what happened to the young guys? It's not all the young guys. We don't have coaches. We need good coaches. We don't have system, we don't have anything in Slovakia. We need help," Visnovsky told the Vancouver Sun in an interview.
The central European country has one of the European Union's highest growth rates but parents lack the money needed to sponsor their children as the monthly wage averages around 700 euros.
Slovakia has 45 indoor rinks and 6,497 registered junior players while its neighbour Czech republic has 31,560 registered juniors and 157 indoor rinks.
Russia, bidding for a third title in four years, are considered favourites with defending champions Czech Republic and Canada hot on their heels.
The Russians open their campaign against Germany on Friday with Slovakia facing Slovenia the same day.
and cars decorated with flags, stickers and scarves as local fans hope that their team, ranked eighth in the world, can somehow win the title for only the second time.
"It will be a big feast for the country, for sure," Slovak player Pavol Demitra told Reuters.
Demitra, once one of the NHL's most consistently productive players and leading scorer at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, said expectations would be high but declined to make any predictions on Slovakia's chances.
"I will not bet on anyone. I did that once and we lost everything," said the 36-year-old.
The annual event, which starts Friday, clashes with the climax of the NHL season and is likely to come off a poor second in its battle for a share of the limelight and the presence of the top players.
Although Slovakia boast names such as New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik and Anaheim's Lubomir Visnovsky, critics say they have failed to replace the golden generation of nine years ago.
"Everybody says what happened to the young guys? It's not all the young guys. We don't have coaches. We need good coaches. We don't have system, we don't have anything in Slovakia. We need help," Visnovsky told the Vancouver Sun in an interview.
The central European country has one of the European Union's highest growth rates but parents lack the money needed to sponsor their children as the monthly wage averages around 700 euros.
Slovakia has 45 indoor rinks and 6,497 registered junior players while its neighbour Czech republic has 31,560 registered juniors and 157 indoor rinks.
Russia, bidding for a third title in four years, are considered favourites with defending champions Czech Republic and Canada hot on their heels.
The Russians open their campaign against Germany on Friday with Slovakia facing Slovenia the same day.
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