From 17 to 37, ice hockey brilliance is not a matter of age in Beijing

The absence of players from the National Hockey League (NHL) initially put a damper on the 2022 Winter Olympics. There were concerns about the level of play, and overall international interest in the tournament. However, players young and old have risen to the task in Beijing, creating a memorable tournament once more.

One of the brightest new stars of international ice hockey on display in Beijing is Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky. At just 17 years old, Salfkovsky has registered five goals in as many games, scoring the opening goal in his hockey mad country’s victory against the United States in the quarterfinals.

The youngster doesn’t seem too star-studded about his own performance, as evidenced by his nonchalant description of goal. “I was talking with our goalie coach and he was telling me about the goalie and, yeah, it went in,” said Slafkovsky.

He isn’t phased about playing against men older than him either. The teenage sensation told the IIHF, “I think I can play physically and win some battles on the boards and that’s how I present myself.”

In an interview following Slovakia’s victory over Latvia in the group stage, Slafkovsky had an upbeat tone about his Olympic debut. He stated, “It feels great. Before the tournament, if someone had told me I’d score one or two goals, I would laugh, but it’s actually happening and I’m pretty happy that we won this game.”

Slafkovsky was the first 17-year-old to score a goal at the Winter Olympics in ice hockey since 1984. The emerging superstar of Slovkian hockey will be called into action once more when his team takes on Finland in the semifinals.

While Slovakia’s tournament has been led by the emergence of one of the best young talents in the sport, Denmark’s effort has been guided by one of the oldest stalwarts of ice hockey in the country.

Frans Nielsen became one of the oldest players to score a goal in the history of Olympic ice hockey during Denmark’s victory over Czechia in the group stage. Even at 37 years old, Nielsen felt anxious in his first match on Olympic ice.

“For sure, the butterflies were there,” said Nielsen. “Not nervous like the first NHL game, but it’s different. It was something new that I’ve never been a part of before. But once you get out there, get a couple shifts under your belt, it feels like a hockey game.”

Unlike Slafkovsky, Nielsen was a well-established name in the ice hockey world before his country’s debut in Beijing. Nielsen’s career spans 15 years in the NHL, where he amassed a total of 473 points. One goal at the Olympic Game may seem insignificant in comparison, but it represents the culmination of a dream long held by the Dane, who gave the opportunity to play in the NHL so that he could play at the Olympics.

“I’ve thought about that a lot,” he told the IIHF. “You always want to play in the NHL, but with this being my last year playing, it would have been tough to miss this. All I can say is, this is a childhood dream and it all worked out for the best, I guess.”

He added, “even if I had stayed in the NHL, that would have been a tough one to swallow when they told us NHL players could not come over.”

His career in the NHL was significant for Denmark. He was only the fifth Danish player to be drafted, and only the second Danish-born player to play in the league.

His teammate, Mikkel Boedker, stated, “he means everything to hockey in Denmark, I think. The first guy in the NHL, kinda paved the way for other guys and now he gets to score in the Olympic Games. He got to carry the flag in the Opening Ceremony, so yeah, I’d say he’s having a pretty good Olympics.”

The success of both Slafkovsky and Nielsen serves as proof that age isn’t a limiting factor in sport. The absence of NHL players may be unfortunate for fans of the sport, but that absence has allowed faces both young and old to soar to new heights within the sport at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

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