It was the beginning of the second third of the quarter-final match between Slovakia and Germany (6:2). Juraj Slafkovský got into a fight with two German hockey players and hit the goalpost hard.
He remained lying on the ice, shaken.
Only a few seconds passed before team doctor Pavol Lauko ran to him to find out what had happened. He helped Slafkovski up and gave him quick treatment on the changing table.
While Slafkovský put an ice pack on his neck and head after a hard impact, Miloš Kelemen and Oliver Okuliar scored important goals for 2:0 and 3:0, which in the final settlement decided Slovakia’s victory.
Slafkovský was happy about the goals on the bench. Doctor Lauko tried to calm him down. It was this moment that also caught the attention of journalist Marko Lazerus, according to whom one of the heroes of the match against Germany was sitting on the bench.
“Of all the amazing things that happened during Slovakia’s victory over Germany, perhaps the most amazing was when the team doctor was able to keep ice on Juraj Slafkovský’s neck even during the goal celebration.”
“The injury was not serious, we iced his head and checked whether he had symptoms of a concussion. Nothing of the sort showed up, so Juraj could continue the match,” says Lauko.
Slafkovský “enjoyed” his quick help. After the match, he joked that a bag of ice would solve everything.
“It cooled me down nicely and I’ll try it in the next match as well. I wouldn’t have to repeat the blow to the head, but the ice bag would. I’ll hope that we score two more goals for now,” he laughed.
The doctor explained that cold for concussions acts as a sedative and will help the player return to action quickly.
After the match, a video appeared on the hockey association’s social networks, in which Slafkovský is rejoicing about advancing to the semi-finals of the Olympic tournament.
The man who helped him in the match was also very happy with him. “Juraj and I have known each other for a long time, our celebration was spontaneous,” says the team doctor with a smile.
But don’t expect such emotions from him on the shift.
As a youth he played for Nitra
Surgeon Pavol Lauko worked in a hospital for fifteen years, now he runs a private practice in Bratislava.
His transition to athletes was seamless. He played hockey himself until he was 16. In his school days, he shared a Nitrian cabin with Jozef Stümpel or Dušan Milo.
He has been working with the Slovak national hockey team since 2020. With the team, he completed five WC hockey tournaments, and also experienced two championships with junior hockey players.
The Olympics in Milan is his second, he brought home a bronze medal from Beijing as a member of the implementation team. He would also like to return from Italy with the valuable metal.
“Getting to the semifinals of a tournament like this is an amazing result. All of us who are with the team are experiencing it, but with humility,” he says.
“We’ll see how it turns out in the end, but hopefully we’ll match or better Beijing.”
Although he let his emotions run free in the locker room with Slafkovský, he is a professional on the bench. He always prefers to keep the celebrations behind the scenes.
“I try to hold on to goals or victories, but it’s not always easy,” he admits.
VIDEO: The latest episode of the Hockey BOSS podcast
Invisible work
On the ice, as in the case of Slafkovski’s treatment, it does not appear often. He only leaves the shift when there are urgent cases.
The team doctor is in charge of a complete medical service: from the treatment of acute injuries during a match or training session, through diagnostics, regeneration to deciding on the player’s return to the game.
He always has with him basic medicines against pain and inflammation, means for treating wounds, treating swelling, allergic reactions or dehydration, as well as equipment for more complex injuries.
However, it’s always best if players don’t have to use it.
He goes to the hockey arena early to take care of the players with the other team members.
“I have to check them, ask them what they need. Physiotherapists also do very important work, they are absolutely irreplaceable. They devote 10 hours a day to the players,” he describes.
In addition to regular medical treatments, he tries to give advice to the players and help them with their mental attitude
“Our work is invisible, but we are all a very important part of the team.”
Slovaks do not use mustard
The Olympic tournament is played in quick succession. The Slovak hockey players played four games during the week, and they still avoided the unfathomable round of 16.
After progressing to the semi-finals, they have two more duels in the weekend.
During matches, players come to the substitution table exhausted, with a high degree of muscle fatigue, dehydration, and sometimes with the onset of cramps, which can appear at practically any time during the intensity of the match.
This is also why ammonia is still a part of the hockey reality, an unobtrusive but effective “life stimulant” that stimulates the nervous system and helps players switch their bodies to standby mode before their next stay on the ice.
Doctor Lauko admits that Slovak hockey players also use it.
He was also asked about the use of mustard. Why mustard, you ask? Because it was popularized by German captain Leon Draisaitl at the ongoing Olympics.
Footage of him consuming the contents of a yellow bag has gone viral on social media and has also brought questions as to why he is doing it.
“Mustard is really good for cramps. When I have them, it’s pretty much the only thing that works for me,” Draisaitl responded.
According to the findings of experts, mustard can really be an effective and acute aid against cramps, but it works a little differently than we might imagine.
Its effect lies in the strong sour taste of vinegar, which activates receptors in the oral cavity and subsequently affects the nervous system in a way that can help suppress muscle spasms.
VIDEO: Editing of the match Slovakia – Germany
It obviously helped Draisaitl, he was Germany’s busiest player at the tournament, playing more than 28 minutes in the quarterfinals against Slovakia.
The doctor of the Slovak team does not know the effects of mustard and has not yet encountered it. “Maybe there are substances that help, but I don’t know. Nobody uses it here,” he added.
According to him, Slovaks rely on proven “hockey recipes”.
