Following in the steps of fellow countryman and teammate Branko Radivojevič, Slovak forward Ladislav Nagy today announced his retirement from hockey at age 39, as he too was part of the HK Dukla Trenčín team that was eliminated from the Slovak Extraliga playoffs.

Nagy, the consummate journeyman, began his career with Košice, before jumping to North America after being drafted late in the 1997 NHL Draft by St. Louis. Nagy would spend two years with the Blues before joining Phoenix, spending six seasons with the Coyotes and parts of two seasons with Dallas and Los Angeles before returning to Europe. Nagy first joined Severstal of the KHL for two seasons, spending time in the KHL also with Poprad, Dynamo Minsk and Slovan Bratislava, also spending time in the Slovak League (Poprad), Finnish Liiga (Jokerit) and Swedish League (MODO), before returning to captain Košice for his final three pro seasons. While never winning a championship, Nagy finsihed his career with 311 NHL points, 123 KHL points and 285 Slovak League points over his 21-season senior career.

Nagy first joined the Slovak junior team at the 1998 World Junior Championship, playing two seasons with the U20 squad before first joining the senior team at the 2001 World Championship. Nagy would play in six World Championships (2001, 2002, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2018), the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, notching 64 points in 95 caps with the Repre. Nagy captured three World Championship medals in his career – a bronze with the 1999 World Junior squad, a bronze with the 2003 senior squad, and most memorably, being part of the historic 2002 Gold medal victory in Gothenburg that stunned the hockey world, bringing Slovakia its first World Championship title, only nine years after separating from Czechia.

Despite his many successes with Slovakia, Nagy surprisingly only held the IHLC twice in his career – once as part of the 2002 championship team, and 16 years later during the Euro Hockey Challenge. We wish Ladislav and his family the very best for his retirement and the things to come!

Photo Credit: MTV.fi – IIHF – HHOF – IOC