MAC Budapest went undefeated this past league match week as they are hoping to keep pace with league leaders Diósgyőr. Great defending was one of the main reasons they picked up 6 points, with the two goalies combining to allow one goal. However someone who helped out not only on the defensive end but also the offensive zone was well was Viktor Tokaji who is this week’s Player of the Week.
Tokaji who just turned 39 years old on Monday, is a living legend that is still strapping on the skates and hitting the ice with teammates who were born after he played his first pro game. Tokaji comes from Dunaújváros and was part of the generation that grew up with Árpád Kercső as his coach. After establishing himself as a legit member of the Hungarian national team he spent a season in Sweden before coming back to Hungary to play for Fehérvár in their first EBEL season. He is the only active player to have represented Hungary in the old C-Pool and B-Pool world championships as well as the revamped Divisions 1/A and the A-pool as well. The Sapporo hear took time out of his Transylvanian road trip to answer some questions for icehockey.hu.
This past week MAC only let in one goal despite having a different goalie start each game, what was the secret for to the great defending?
Lately we have been spending a lot of time perfecting our defending since that part of your game is lacking compared to your scoring. I also add our penalty kill to this since we need to improve in that area as well. Our defensive unit needs to get on the same page both defencmen and goalies, we need to be able to communicate if we want to take the next step.
You left Fehérvár after eight seasons, what was it like to start the season with a new team?
Eight years is a long time and we went through a lot with the team and now I am trying to pass on what I have experienced to the next generation of players who are making their pro debuts. I have nothing to complain about, the environment and the facilities are great. The environment is great and there is great cohesion within the team and we are trying to learn from each other.
Do to an unfortunate injury at the end of the season you were able to try your hand at coaching during the world championships, how was that?
A lot of people said that I had missed out on the world championships, on the contrary, I was really able to be apart of this team and feel the same emotions that I had in 2008. It is no secret that I would like to become a coach in the near future and help Hungarian hockey, it was a great honor to work with this coaching staff. I learned a lot and I found out that you need to think differently even though there is only the boards separating you from the action.
You started your career during the “wild west” days of Hungarian hockey, how much has the sport changed in the 20+ years in Hungary?
It was exactly 20 years ago in 1996 when we were Hungarian champions with Dunaújváros, which was also the city’s first championship in any sport. Back then the fans were yelling for a roof over the rink, this days everyone wants an outdoor winter classic. If we look at things seriously in 1996 the national team was at the bottom of the C-pool and twenty years later we are in teh A-pool for the second time, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see the difference in the two decades. This is thanks in large part to the foreign coaches that have coached here both at the club and the national team level, also the youth system that have been created and the proper infrastructure and the TAO as well. We are going in the right direction and to make the next step we still have a lot of work ahead of us, this is the sport of the 21st century after all.
How much will Hungarian hockey develop and improve in the next couple of years?
Hungarian hockey has gone through some big changes and I don’t think I am saying anything ridiculous when I say it is almost impossible to keep up this speed. We have made it onto the hockey map and it is up to try to keep pace with the other countries and to get closer if possible, or maybe the gap will get larger again. There is a new generation of players and coaches coming up and us Hungarians have always had the drive to prove that we can do something, we have built something out of basically nothing. I am positive and I think that this year's world championships will give the sport new energy.