In NHL.com’s Q&A feature called “Sitting Down with …” we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this edition, we feature Peter Bondra, a former forward who played 16 seasons in the NHL, including 14 with the Washington Capitals. He played for Slovakia twice in the Olympics (1998, 2006) and served as its general manager for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
ARLINGTON, Va. — Peter Bondra will be a highly interested spectator from afar when the men’s ice hockey competition at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 gets underway with a game between Slovakia and Finland on Feb. 11.
Bondra, who played for Slovakia at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and 2006 Torino Olympics, will be rooting hard for his countrymen.
“There’s no way I’m not going to watch,” Bondra said.
Bondra has spoken some with Slovakia general manager Miroslav Satan while he’s been going through the process of selecting the Olympic roster. Slovakia named its initial six players on June 16: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Eric Cernak, Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary, New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec, Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky and former NHL forward Tomas Tatar, who is playing this season for Zug in National League, the top professional league in Switzerland.
The remaining 19 players on the roster will be announced in January.
“Obviously, as Slovakia, we don’t have as many NHL players like we used to have,” Bondra said. “I remember when I was GM in 2010 in Vancouver, we had, I would say for Slovakia, an all-star team including players like Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, [Jaroslav] Halak. Now we are a little thinner, but that doesn’t mean we cannot do well.
“We won the bronze medal the last Olympics (2022 in Beijing, when NHL players did not participate). So, hey, obviously it will be tough, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Bondra, who scored 503 goals in 1,081 NHL games, scored five goals in eight games in his two Olympic appearances, but the 57-year-old never advanced past the quarterfinals as a player. When Bondra was GM at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Slovakia nearly upset Canada in the semifinals, losing 3-2, before falling 5-3 to Finland in the bronze game.
“For any players, you ask Canadians or a U.S. guy, to play for your country it’s just pride and something special,” Bondra said. “You appreciate it. It’s hard to explain, but, obviously, I was proud to represent Slovakia in all those events.”
Bondra spoke with NHL.com about the state of Slovakian hockey, his Olympic memories, Alex Ovechkin‘s record-breaking goal scoring and more.
What do you think Slovakia’s chances are in Milano Cortina?
“I think the team is going to do well. I’m not saying we’re going to win a medal, but if we get close to it and be right there with Team USA, Canada and some of the other leaders in the hockey world, that will be fun to see the games where we’ll be close or have some surprise results.”
Slovakia surprised many by finishing fourth in 2010 when you were GM. What advice would you give Satan?
“It all depends how much time you have for preparation. I think he can take advantage because most of the players coming from Europe might have a little more time, maybe a couple of extra days (before the games start). I remember going to Vancouver, really you had a day and a half with the players and we had one practice and went straight to the games. That’s something that I wished we had more time. But at the same time, we just jumped into the games and maybe that helped us. I don’t know. But I think Miro can be more prepared.”
What are your memories from that 2010 tournament?
“Against Canada, Pavol Demitra had a great scoring chance late in the game. I remember we kept (Sidney) Crosby and company in the zone for two minutes putting pressure on them. The bad memory is against Finland (bronze-medal game). We were up 3-1 and we took a couple of bad penalties and that’s what made the difference in the game, especially in the third period. But generally, I think it was a great competition, great Olympics for us.”
Although that generation of Slovakian players has retired, do you feel like the next generation is already on its way?
“I actually do. There’s Simon Nemec, Juraj Slafkovsky and a couple other guys are on the way up. Maybe we need 2-3 more years. Hopefully there will be a couple more years where Slovakian players are drafted in the first round. You never know. Our country is small. We have 5 million people in the country and maybe 20,000 skaters, so it’s hard compared to some bigger countries. But I still believe Slovakia hockey is doing a great job of developing players for the National Hockey League.”
You forgot to mention Fehervary from the Capitals.
“Oh, he is my favorite player. Actually, I was disappointed this summer. I thought he was going to win best Slovakian hockey player because he had a great season. Unfortunately he got hurt right before the playoffs (torn meniscus in his right knee) and that created a big hole on our blue line.”
What stands out about the two times you played in the Olympics?
“We were living not in Ritz-Carltons or any hotels. All the athletes were coming together and eating in the cafeteria. Everybody is preparing themselves for competition. That stuff, when you were interacting with the other athletes, that was kind of cool to be part of that. I remember in Vancouver we came in and we had small beds, and we had Zee Chara (who is 6-foot-9), so we had to find a bigger mattress and extend his bed and things like that. So it wasn’t difficult, but it was something special that you deal with just to make sure we’re all ready.”
What do remember about playing in the first Olympics with NHL players in Nagano in 1998?
“Nagano, I remember I flew and played in one game (in the preliminary round) and we didn’t qualify (for the quarterfinals). In Torino (in 2006), we had a great team. I think we won every game in the preliminary round (5-0-0), then we lost the (quarterfinal) game to the Czech Republic. We had a great team. Looking back, maybe we should lose a game (in the preliminary round) just to reset. But it was a good tournament for us. Unfortunately we ended up in fifth place.”
You watch Alex Ovechkin a lot with the Capitals. What do you think of him playing at 40 years old?
“There is no explanation. What he did for the last 19-20 years and [to score] 900 goals. I was listening to the NHL Network, and they were talking about 1,000.”
Ovechkin has played his entire NHL career with Capitals. What did him breaking the goal record on April 6 against the New York Islanders mean to the organization?
“The celebration that happened on Long Island, the stoppage of the game and everything, I think that was a celebration of all hockey. Not just the NHL. Obviously the NHL is on the top of it. Not just the Washington Capitals, I think the whole world, Europe. I think if you’re a hockey fan, wherever you are, you admit something special happened there and that moment was something you should remember.”
The Capitals had a pickleball tournament during their alumni weekend earlier this season. I heard you are a big pickleball player.
“I am. I play every day. I am a high level. Not pro, but I play a lot.”
Did you play padel in Slovakia?
“I did play padel a few times. It’s similar. Obviously, padel requires a little more settings. Pickleball you can go on the tennis court or anywhere in your neighborhood and you can be part of that. I like it. I think the game itself, if you’re talking about pickleball, kind of meets my age, where I am at this point. I used to play tennis, but tennis your body gets beat up a little bit. Pickleball is still a workout, but you have to be careful.”
Aside from you, who among the alumni stood out playing pickleball?
“Sylvain Cote showed me he can play. I was watching him … and he did great. Olaf Kolzig was right there. Brian Sutherby, he was right there. Yvon Labre (who is 75 years old) tried it. I was scared because he might fall down or something. I was like, ‘Yvon, why do you do this? Be careful. We don’t need anybody to get hurt.’ We had different guys try different stuff and I think generally it was good. It was something else to do besides just hockey and a lot of fans had access to us and were able to meet us through the day and just generally was a great day.”