SATAN IS BACK!!

General Manager Maroš Krajči confirmed the news with hcslovan.sk: “We’ve agreed on the basics with Miro. He’ll fly into Bratislava at the earliest opportunity, so he can be available to coach Čada as soon as possible during the coming home series in December.“

Miroslav Šatan last played for Slovan over a year ago, on Saturday, November 3^rd 2012, in the Tipsport Arena in Prague, against Lev Praha. After a tough check by Zdeno Chara in the 10^th minute of the second period, he had to leave the game. Since then he has not played a game at club level. After several months’ treatment and rehab, he made his comeback for Slovakia against Finland in the World Championships in May, playing all eight games and notching up 1 goal and 2 assists.

Miroslav Šatan is coming into familiar and, essentially, home surroundings. He led the Bratislava team for the last two seasons as captain, capping off the 2011/2012 season with the Championship title of Most Productive Player of the Playoffs. Last year, up until his injury, he played 21 KHL games for Slovan, picking up 12 points.

The arrival of Miro Šatan at this stage of the season will be more than welcome for Slovan. On their recent trip to Western Siberia, apart from three defeats on the trot, three key players picked up injuries – Michal Vondrka, Juraj Mikúš and Roman Kukumberg. In recent days, contact between Šatan and the Slovan management had intensified, aiming towards a mutual agreement. Šatan remained in his second home in Long Island, USA, where he prepared and trained alone. In his own words, he feels really well, and able to start on the demanding KHL bandwagon almost immediately. At the end of the year, some key games await the Sky Blues, especially at home, which could prove decisive in whether they repeat last year’s feat of reaching the playoffs. 24 games still remain in the regular season, meaning 72 points are at stake. In the Western Conference, the points difference between the teams placed 7^th and lower is not great.

We welcome Miroslav Šatan back into the Slovan team and look forward to his incomparable hockey mastery, which he has demonstrated to hockey fans for nearly two decades.

Key moments in the career of Miroslav Šatan to date:

1994: Best forward at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics, with 9 goals
1995: Makes NHL debut, for Edmonton Oilers
2000: Most Productive Player at World Championships in St. Petersburg; silver medal; plays in NHL All Star Game
2002: World Champion; Most Productive Player; MVP for whole tournament
2003: Bronze medal at World Championships; plays in NHL All Star Game
2005: Extra Liga winner with HC SLOVAN
2009: Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh Penguins
2012: Silver medal at World Championships in Helsinki; Extra Liga winner with HC SLOVAN