Martin Fehervary’s Olympic Games ended without a medal, but he and his Slovak teammates advanced further than expected in the tournament. After surprising many by winning their group, which also featured Finland, Sweden, and Italy, the Slovaks reached the Bronze Medal Game, where they ultimately fell 6-1 to the Finns.
Fehervary returned home to the Washington, DC area on Monday and was greeted by his newborn daughter, Anna, his girlfriend, Natalia Levius, and a cake and balloons celebrating his Olympic experience.
Hours later, Fehervary jumped on his Instagram account to post photos from his experience, adding a caption that read, “Thank you all for your support. What a ride!!”
The couple welcomed Anna into the world on January 31, and Fehervary had only a week at home before flying to Italy for the Olympics. The closeness of the two dates had Fehervary even considering not traveling to play for Slovakia, but he ultimately did, and his team was much better for it as he played 21:01 of average ice time per game.
“I’m thinking about both of them every day,” Fehervary told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen last week. “I’m trying to call them as much as I can. It’s a little bit hard, especially for my girlfriend. She’s just with her mother, but still, after labor, it’s tough, emotions are high and low. We’re trying to get together and supporting each other.”
The good vibes back home likely aided Fehervary as he finished the tournament with four points, all assists, in six games. With the four assists, he tied Lubomir Sekeras (1998) for the most by a Slovakian defenseman in an Olympics involving NHL players.
“I mean, obviously, for myself, I never really played for anything big like this,” Fehervary told Rosen. “I never won anything, so for me it would be truly amazing, especially right now when my daughter was born a couple days ago. I feel like she can bring me some luck.”
While the Slovaks didn’t win a medal with their fourth-place finish, Fehervary will hopefully be able to draw on his newfound dad strength and luck in his return to the NHL. The Washington Capitals will be back in action on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In 58 games for the Capitals this season, Fehervary has recorded 20 points (4g, 16a). He is averaging 19:00 of ice time per game, which ranks fifth on the team.
