The historical landmarks of Bratislava, the capital and largest city of landlocked Slovakia, are unmistakable.
In the city stand breathtaking castles and palaces built centuries ago. Cross the bridge that Oregon senior Mike Hideghety did as a young Slovakian and, in ten minutes, you’ll see an 11th-century Gothic cathedral and a 13th-century city hall – they’ve both been restored to maintain Bratislava’s old town feel and, more importantly, to encapsulate such remarkable historical structures.
History has stayed in the forefront of the small city, in part, because people like Hideghety share a commonality: Slovakian pride.
For Hideghety, the Oregon club hockey star who finished second in the regular season on his team with 43 total points from 19 goals and 24 assists, Bratislava truly is his old town. He and his family moved to Portland, Ore., from Slovakia when he was nine years old “for a chance at a better future,” he said.
Hideghety still remembers its awe-inspiring sites, the “amazing” landscapes and the hockey. Hideghety is a full-fledged American, make no mistake – he said people don’t even believe it when he says in his now-crisp English that he’s from Slovakia – but he’ll be damned before he stops with the phone calls in Slovakian to his parents on bus trips or phases out the cheers for Slovakia’s National Olympic teams.
“It’s just what I grew up speaking, so that is what we speak with our parents,” Hideghety said. “They were the ones who told me that it is good to keep the national tongue.”
“He is definitely proud to be from there, he reps it as much as he can,” said Joel Dunham, a sophomore who plays hockey with Hideghety on the Portland in-line team called the Phantoms. “He likes America as well, but when we watch the Olympics he is always rooting for Slovakia.”
He said his parents, Portland residents Tibor and Zuzana Hideghety, have an Eastern European accent. When he went back to Slovakia in the 8th grade, he said his friends still remembered him.
“Even though I grew up there, my childhood was still very normal,” Hideghety said.
Hideghety’s parents came to most of his home games this year. Most recently, they stood proudly on the ice as their son was recognized as the Ducks’ lone senior. They also converse over the phone, which provokes as much fascination as laughter from teammates.
“It makes for some funny conversations at the couch watching a game with the hockey guys,” said coordinator Jeff Gibb. “He will be on the phone with them and it is just amazing. They do half-English, half-Slovakian. It sounds like the most bizarre thing.”
Hideghety learned English in only six months when he was in the third grade. Coming from a country known for its hockey, Hideghety said he and his dad watched some powerful HC Slovan Bratislava teams dominate game after game. The team, which plays in the Slovak National League, won the 2005 Slovak League Championship and featured NHL star Miroslav Satan.
Hideghety was as young as five when he started rooting for the home team. And in Slovakia, playing hockey is simply the thing kids do when it gets cold, he said.
“Everyone plays hockey, soccer or tennis there,” Hideghety said. “During the winters, you played hockey.”
Chicago Blackhawk Peter Bondra, who is a 500-goal scorer, played in Slovakia. So did Marian and Marcel Hossa of the NHL, along with a slew of other professional players. Marian, who just played in the NHL All-Star game for the East, is actually a Hideghety family friend and former Portland Winter Hawk.
Mike played two six-month seasons for the Portland Jr. Hawks Tier-I squad during his junior and senior years at Century High School and said Marian talked to him extensively a few times – with each conversation yielding invaluable advice.
“He knew me when I was 15, and one of the things he said is that dry land training in the spring is always the best way to prepare for the season,” Hideghety said.
Dunham, Hideghety’s teammate, said he met Hideghety in the fifth grade as an opponent in a youth league and later joined him on an in-line hockey team.
in-line hockey, or roller hockey, is a game of four-on-four, giving passers more freedom to get creative.
“It gives you really good hands and helps you with your vision on the ice,” Dunham said. “There is more room to pass. When you get on the ice, you still have that mentality. I think that is why we both really enjoy playing together, because we have the same style.”
Hideghety joined the Ducks club hockey team in the second half of the 2005-06 season and competed in just four battles. This year, the Ducks (22-3, 12-2 Pac-8) are seeded second in the Pac-8 Championship Tournament and slated to play third-seed UCLA in the first round of the tournament in El Segundo, Calif., on Friday. Hideghety has netted goals, dished out judicious passes and tried to find his role as a vocal leader on a squad en route to regionals, scheduled for Feb. 16-17 in Logan, Utah.
“It is a little different because last year there were six seniors,” Hideghety said. “This year there are a lot of other kids who have stepped up. Jeff Gibb has taken a leadership role, Matt Lutsch stepped up. I try to keep everyone’s attitude right before games, but don’t feel too much pressure. I keep the mood light.”
“He’s not a captain, but his leadership quality is making the right play,” said Dunham, who added that Hideghety seems to be a friend to all.
Gibb said: “Mike is a real easy guy to get along with. He never gets too excited about much, which is a great thing to have on a team.”
Almost a University graduate, Hideghety said he plans on moving to Portland this summer to do “the whole job search thing.” He said he wants to stay on the ice for as long as he can, though, and plans on competing in various leagues in the area. Plans are also in the works for a trip back to Bratislava – he and his family hope to fly back next spring, where he can continue to keep his history with the country alive.
“I’ve spent more than half of my life here, but my roots are still embedded in Slovakia,” Hideghety said.