EV Zug has scored a coup with the signing of Tomas Tatar. Despite his long NHL career, the Slovakian's hunger for success is far from satiated.
13.11.2025, 04:31
13.11.2025, 07:30
SDA
With Tomas Tatar, the name says it all. The 34-year-old Slovakian loves Tatar, it's one of his favorite dishes. In 2010/11, his first season in the NHL, he was given the nickname "Tuna" - after the appetizer Tuna Tatar - and it stuck. Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg described it as the best nickname in ice hockey.
Tomas Tatar's hunger for ice hockey was also great from an early age. His two much older brothers Marek (51) and Tibor (48) were local ice hockey stars in his home town of Dubnica nad Váhom when he was a child. He wanted to emulate them. He played street field hockey for hours after school on the large paved area in front of the family home. A goal at the end of his room was used to hone his shot with a plastic ball - even in the middle of the night. For example, he wouldn't stop until he had hit the crossbar ten times in a row. According to his own statement, he could probably have walked to the ice rink not far away with his eyes closed.
Size as an obstacle
"I love ice hockey more than anything," says Tomas Tatar, who is learning German online, in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. "That's why I put a lot of work into it. Without that, I probably wouldn't have become a professional." However, the path to the top was anything but easy. He was repeatedly told that he was too small - he now measures 1.78 m - and was not considered for the junior national teams for a long time (not until the U20s). It was not for nothing that the former NHL star Martin St. Louis, who was only 1.71 m tall, became his role model.
Another problem was that Tatar's rights remained with his first club even after moving from Dubnica to Dukla Trencin in 2007 and Trencin was not willing to buy them. As a result, he was unable to play in the men's team, even though he was under-utilized in the U20 category. Finally, Zvolen took over his rights in 2008. His performances in the top Slovakian league led to him being allowed to play in the U20 World Championship at the end of the year. In 2009, the Detroit Red Wings drafted him in the 2nd round as number 60.
That same year, Tatar went to North America, where he played his first season in the AHL for the Grand Rapids Griffins. On December 31, 2010, he made his NHL debut with the Red Wings against the New York Islanders. He played his first full season in the best ice hockey league in the world in 2013/14. By the time he moved to Switzerland to join EV Zug, he had played a total of 983 NHL games, including 927 in the regular season, in which he scored 234 goals and 275 assists.
Lost the fun
Didn't the 1,000-game mark appeal to him, especially since he could have stayed in the NHL? This milestone was not a deciding factor, says Tatar. "I was happy with the plan they have here in Zug." In addition, he no longer got the ice time he wanted in the NHL. Last season with the New Jersey Devils, he averaged 11:06 minutes in the regular season. "I'm someone who likes to make plays, who likes to score goals, and if I don't have the opportunity to do that on the ice, then I don't enjoy it," explains Tatar.
The Swiss faction on the Devils - Nico Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler and Timo Meier - made the move to the National League appealing to him. He sold his apartment to Timo Meier. "I spent a lot of time with them, they were great teammates. We are in contact almost every day, I keep my fingers crossed for them," says Tatar.
Satisfied with himself and the team
How does he rate his team's performance so far? After 21 games, EVZ is in 4th place in the table with 37 points, but the fluctuations in performance have been too extreme. "We're happy with where we are, considering how many injuries we've had and how many games (Zug is taking part in the Champions Hockey League) we've played." They have fought their way back after a difficult period and have had some good wins. I think we're doing very well under the circumstances. And now players are gradually coming back."
How does he rate his own performances? With five goals and 13 assists in 20 games, Tatar is Zug's second-best scorer in the National League. "I think I played pretty well, considering the fact that I played the last eight to ten games injured. That was really challenging for me, but my goal was to make it to the (national team) break and help the team." Now he wants to be fully fit again. "It's nothing serious, but I want to deal with the injury wisely," he explains.
Soon to be three
Tomas Tatar has settled in well in Switzerland, he likes the mountains and the lakes. "The country is beautiful, life here is easy and the journeys are short. I really enjoy it," says Tatar. This is also because he now has more time for his wife Veronika. They got married on Lake Maggiore in July and will soon be parents. The tattoos on his right forearm underline just how important his family is to Tatar. He has immortalized the birth dates of his parents and two brothers there.
His contract with Zug runs until 2027 and his goal this season is nothing less than the championship title. Because his hunger for success is far from satisfied - and, of course, for Tatar.
