It's good to be Miroslav Satan
By Lucas Aykroyd
Vienna
Right now, it's good to be Miroslav Satan.
You're young, fast, and slick. You're the captain of a Slovak team that went a perfect 3-and-0 in the Preliminary Round, capping it off with an 8-1 thrashing of your Austrian hosts. And on your team, everybody is happy. Everybody is smiling. During your team photo session yesterday, it was jokes and pokes and Ziggy Palffy getting a cream pie in the face before a high-energy practice.
Sure, there was no NHL for you to star in this season. But that's OK. It was you, after all, who scored a goal and an assist in Game Seven of the Slovak League finals to defeat Zvolen and earn the title for Slovan Bratislava. And as the scoring champion from Russia 2000 and Sweden 2002 and the owner of three medals since 2002, you're really a bigger star here than with the Buffalo Sabres, your 519 career NHL points notwithstanding. You are the national team's all-time leading scorer.
The World Cup collapse? The flameout against the Americans in the Prague 2004 bronze medal shootout? That was last year.
Right now, on May 6, it's a horde of mostly Slovak media members eagerly awaiting your pronouncements in the mixed zone at the Wiener Stadthalle as you come up in your blue practice jersey after another good on-ice session...
So, how did you manage to get the offense going against Austria after just five goals in the first two games versus Belarus and Russia, Captain Satan?
"I think we were just patient, and I think they got tired toward the end of the game. We used that to our advantage. We tried to use all four lines, and we had extra energy toward the end. That's probably why we scored five goals in the third period."
Do you feel bad at all about blowing out the Austrians on their home ice in front of their fans?
"No." A small smirk.
Must be kind of like playing at home for you anyway, what with Bratislava just across the nearby border.
"Yes, we feel like we're playing at home. A lot of fans have come down here and it's great. We can get some energy from the crowd. We see how much people care about our results, so we're trying to play for them also."
Are you concerned about your own offensive production to date: one assist in three games?
"No, not at all."
And you move on confidently. More microphones to appease, more notepads to fill. But ultimately, you know the best answers you can give your questioners will come starting May 12, less than a week away. For Slovakia, a gold medal is great, but any medal is good. On May 6, those medals seem very real, very attainable, even if you can't linger on that image for too long. But you've been there before, and the feeling is starting to come back.
Right now, it's good to be Miroslav Satan. :teufel:
www.iihf.com
And I can tell you - for sure its great to be Miro Satan :cool: Oooohh I love this guy :teufel:
... im Moment hat die dt. Mannschaft beim Stand von 0-2 die Fahrkarte für die Abstiegsrunde gebucht. Das war ein ganz armes 1. Drittel. 
