Rookie Budaj Will Carry Heavy Load for Slovakian Team

After winning his first NHL game, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Peter Budaj was approached by reporters who handed him a break-the-ice compliment before the real questions began.

“Nice game.”

Budaj shrugged and replied, “Thanks,” in a what-else-is-new manner. That confidence has yet to waver and will now be a key for the Slovakian team in the 2006 Olympics.

For Slovakia to earn a medal, the team will put its faith in Budaj, a 23-year-old rookie.

“Every team in the Olympics has got to have a great goalie to be successful,” said the Kings’ Pavol Demitra, who will be playing in his second Olympics for Slovakia. “We have found one and we have to get him hot.”

Slovakia finished 13th in Salt Lake City four years ago, partly because of the schedule. With the preliminary round held before the NHL’s Olympic break, the top Slovak players had to fly in for games and not once did the full team take the ice.

That won’t be a problem this time. Slovakia, seeded third, behind Canada and Sweden, opens with Russia today, the first game in pool play that also will include games against Sweden and the United States.

“It’s much nicer to get the whole team together and go play those games,” Atlanta’s Marian Hossa said. “Before, we only had a couple of guys, so it definitely will make it a different Olympics for us.”

His country can only hope.

The divide between Czechs and Slovaks led to Czechoslovakia’s split in 1993. The religions are different -- Slovakia is mainly Catholic, the Czech Republic mainly Protestant. They spoke different languages and had different cultures.

But they shared a love for hockey. When asked whether Slovakia’s chief rival was Russia, Hossa said, “No, we usually have a big rivalry with the Czech Republic, not the Russians.”

Which made it particularly tough to see those 1998 Olympic gold medals dangling from Czech necks.

“Yeah, there were some people in the country who were unhappy,” said Demitra, walking a diplomatic rail. “But there were some who were happy too. I have a lot of friends on the Czech team.”

Slovakia won its group title in 1994 -- its first Olympics as a country -- but was beaten by Russia in the quarterfinals and has not advanced past the preliminary round in two Olympics since.

“I don’t think people were upset that the Czech won” in 1998, King defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky said. “But they are ready to see us win.”

Slovakia has a reemerging national program to fulfill those hopes, having won three medals at the world championships since 2000, including gold in 2002.

Only Sweden has won more medals in that time. Still, that is tempered some by a three-losses-and-out showing in the 2004 World Cup.

“They have as much talent as Russia and Sweden,” said King center Craig Conroy, who will play for the U.S. team. “That is a team you have to worry about.”

The Slovakian roster boasts skilled forwards Demitra, Hossa, Atlanta’s Peter Bondra, Minnesota’s Marian Gaborik and Colorado’s Marek Svatos. The defense has such NHL heavies as Visnovsky and Ottawa’s Zdeno Chara.

But that red-carpet quality has often been offset by too many red-light moments.

Jan Lasak, who appeared in six games with the Nashville Predators and is now playing in the Czech Republic, had a 4.15 goals-against average in the 2002 Olympics and whopping 5.17 in the 2004 World Cup.

“Our problem has always been the goalies,” Demitra said. “Budaj is playing great. He’s young and does not have much experience. We’ve got unbelievable offense and our defense is great. If he gets hot, we can beat anybody.”

And Budaj already has ambitions, looking to attain the heights reached by the one Slovak goaltender who is revered: Vladimir Dzurilla.

Dzurilla, the refrigeration repairman from Bratislava, answered Red Army tanks with a 2-0 shutout of the Soviet Union for Czechoslovakia in the 1969 world championships. The victory became a defining moment in Czechoslovakia, an answer to the Soviet Union’s 1968 invasion.

During the massive street celebrations that followed in Prague, pavement stones were thrown through the offices of the Soviet airline, Aeroflot. Soon after “2-0” graffiti appeared on walls throughout the city.

“Dzurilla is the No. 1 hockey goalie for Slovakia ever,” Visnovsky said.

Budaj agreed.

“When you talk about Slovakian goaltenders, he is the best,” he said. “He beat Russia, he won the world championships [in 1967]. I can only hope to be as good.”

That chance will be presented to Budaj, who at times is inconsistent in the crease and occasionally brash off the ice with the Avalanche. When the Slovakian team plays, it will need more of that cockiness and less of the unevenness.

“He has to win that first game to get his confidence,” Demitra said. “He is the only Slovakian goalie in the NHL and you need an NHL goalie to win in the Olympics.”

For the Avalanche, Budaj went 2-0-1, giving up only five goals, in three consecutive starts in November. He followed that up by giving up six goals in a loss to Detroit.

His 2.73 goals-against average and .901 save percentage are better than those of David Aebischer, the Avalanche’s No. 1 goaltender. But Budaj has started only once in the last 15 games, meaning he could be rusty for the Olympic tournament.

“Obviously, it is a big honor for me,” Budaj said. “I was in Toronto, where I was playing juniors, and it was tough to watch our team [in 2002]. We didn’t do well. It’s four years later and we’re stronger now. We have young guys stepping up and playing well. It’s going to be about seeing how the new guys are.”

That would start with a “nice game” from Budaj.