Slovak hockey fan arrested near Olympics 16 years after Italy issued warrant

A Slovakian native was in Italy this week, 16 years after prosecutors in the country issued a warrant against him.

The 44-year-old unidentified man traveled to Milan to watch his native country’s Olympic hockey team take on medal favorite Finland, which wound up being a tremendous 4-1 upset victory for the Slovaks.

However, he never got a chance to see the Slovaks’ version of the “Miracle on Ice.”

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Slovakia fans inside the arena before the match against Finland in men’s ice hockey group B play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.  (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

Police said they tracked down the suspect after he checked into a guesthouse in the Milan suburbs, then escorted him to the central San Vittore Prison before he could attend the game.

The warrant stemmed from a string of alleged shop thefts in 2010. He now has 11 months, seven days to serve, according to police.

Perhaps the fan wanted to try to bring some piece of home to his hockey team, as they are set to face the hosts in Italy on Friday. They’ll close out the preliminary round on Saturday against Sweden, another squad that could most definitely compete for the gold medal.

Juraj Slafkovsky of Slovakia in action during the Men’s Preliminary Group B match between Slovakia and Finland on day five of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 11, 2026, in Milan, Italy.  (RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty Images)

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Slovakia won the bronze medal in Beijing when NHL players were not yet allowed to compete. Now, they are led by Montreal Canadiens superstar Juraj Slafkovsky, who actually does have Olympic experience.

Slafkovsky competed in 2022, as he had not yet been in the NHL. He was 17 at the time, the youngest player in the Olympics, yet still managed to be the Olympics’ points leader and the tournament’s most valuable player.

Slafovsky scored twice against Finland, and Dalibor Dvorsky of the St. Louis Blues got the game-winning goal with less than 13 minutes left.

Juraj Slafkovsky of Team Slovakia celebrates the team’s 4-1 victory in the Men’s Preliminary Group B match between Slovakia and Finland on day five of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 11, 2026, in Milan, Italy.  (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Unfortunately, one fan won’t be able to see the gang in action.

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