Slafkovsky fulfills his dream as he makes his NHL debut with the Canadiens

MONTREAL– Juraj Slafkowski said he still had goosebumps 20 minutes after his Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in Wednesday’s season opener for both teams at the Bell Centre.

He had good reason to feel that way.

“Hard to believe,” said the 18-year-old forward, grinning broadly. “My first NHL game. Playing against it Austin Matthews, one of my favorite players to grow up with. And beating the Maple Leafs, a team we wanted so badly to beat. I loved it early in the game when the fans booed them when they first got on the ice.

“I dreamed of playing in the NHL one day and now it’s happened.

To be fair, the only thing stopping Slafkovsky’s NHL debut from becoming a true Cinderella story would have been his first NHL goal or point. That, he said, will come.

In the end, the No. 1 in the 2022 NHL Draft played 14 shifts, covering 10:34 Ice Age. He had a hit, a shot on target, a giveaway, a takeaway and a blocked shot. Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said he would have liked to have put Slafkovsky on the ice more, but the nine penalties shot by the teams meant his playing time was limited as he relied on special teams’ play.

That won’t dampen the spirits of Slafkovsky’s legions of fans, both in Montreal and at home in his native Slovakia.

Slafkovsky became the highest Slovak ever elected when the Canadians elected him. According to former Montreal forward Richard Zednik, a compatriot from Slovakia, the youngster is a big deal in his home country.

“People at home remember how he was our best player at the Olympics (Beijing 2022) and then he becomes the overall winner,” said Zednik. “The excitement around him over there is unbelievable.

“It’s the middle of the night back at home and I can guarantee you that so many people stayed up to see this game. You were not disappointed.”

Zednik had 379 points (200 goals, 179 assists) in 745 games with the Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders from 1996 to 2009. Before the game, he met with Slafkovsky and gave him some advice to try to control the butterflies churning in the child’s stomach.

“I told him to take it all in and enjoy it,” Zednik said. “This is a special place to play with a rich history. The people here care about hockey so much. I told him to take it.”

Slafkovsky did just that.

“It was amazing, they were so loud when I stepped on the ice,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

It would get better.

Halfway through the opening period, he crossed the blue line and unleashed a shot that nearly went between the legs of the Maple Leafs goalie Matt Murray. A few minutes later, he scribbled his way through the Toronto defense and caused Rasmus Sandin to take a trip penalty before scoring a clear shot on goal.

“Did you see those movements?” Canadians forward Brendan Gallagher said. “Impressive.”

Such was a game in the third period when he threw Matthews onto the ice and tangled with him. Yes, the same Matthews that Slafkovsky idolized until his draft.

“Hey, I don’t care who it is, I’m a Canadian and he’s an opponent and he’s standing in the way of our victory,” Slafkovsky said. “You do what you have to do to win.

“It was the perfect ending to a perfect game.”

Slafkovsky was referring to a teammate’s go-ahead goal Josh Anderson with 19 seconds remaining in regulation. It seemed like everyone in the arena unrelated to the Maple Leafs jumped up, including Slafkovsky.

He then spent at least 25 minutes answering questions with an ever-present grin in a jubilant Canadiens locker room. After fulfilling his media obligations, he posed for a photo with Zednik before visiting his father Juraj, who arrived in Montreal from Slovakia this week.

“He’s already a special player,” said Zednik. “What we saw tonight is just the beginning. He’s getting used to the smaller ice surface and will only improve.

“I can tell you that. The best is yet to come.”