Although Peter Bondra was not born in Slovakia (he moved there when he was three years old), he is one of the best players to have ever emerged from the Eastern European nation. After four years in the Czech league, Bondra joined the Washington Capitals and, after a few years, emerged as their best offensive threat. The Slovakian Sniper not only possessed deadly shot accuracy, but he was also blessed with fantastic speed.

In the National Hockey League, Ziggy Palffy did not have the pleasure of playing for many good teams, as he was only in the playoffs for three of his twelve seasons in North America.  Still, in a career split with the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings (and a final NHL campaign in Pittsburgh), Palffy had five seasons of 85 Points and averaged 1.04 Points per Game.  Palffy could have had a longer career in the NHL, but after a brief retirement, he played for the Slovak Extraliga for years.

It took a while before Miroslav Satan found his groove in pro hockey, but once he did, he emerged as one of the scoring stars for the Buffalo Sabres in the late ’90s. Satan was good, but leading Buffalo in scoring still did not place him among the NHL's elite in that category. Possibly his most significant highlight in hockey was leading Slovakia to the World Championship in 2002. He also got a Stanley Cup Ring with the Penguins, but was not among the team leaders.  Satan would finish his career playing in Europe, and he represented Slovakia in the World Hockey Championships an astronomical 14 times.

A very good defenseman from Slovakia, Lubomir Visnovsky, has showcased offensive flash, though not many of his market people outside  appeared to be aware. Visnovsky finished 5 points shy of 500, still a good number for a defenseman, but that number and only one All-Star appearance aren’t likely to get him enshrined.

The talented Slovakian player was a very good scorer in the National Hockey League and in International play, but Pavol Demitra is probably best known these days for his tragic end. Demitra was killed in the tragic plane crash that killed the entire Lokomotiv squad from the Russian League. We would rather remember him for his skilled play in hockey than for his unfortunate end.