Budaj: Svatos wanted to resume playing
Former Avalanche goalie spoke with Marek Svatos only four days prior his tragic death.The Slovak daily newspaper Plus Jeden Den interviewed Peter Budaj, who was a good friend of Marek Svatos. They were also former teammates, both having played for the Colorado Avalanche. They had known each other since their school years in Slovakia. Budaj spoke about the last phone call with Marek, who tragically passed away on November 5, 2016.
„We talked four days before it happened. We spoke about normal topics, like how he’s doing, how’s his family. He asked me the same. Nothing extraordinary or special. Like between two friends,” said Budaj, remembering the time he last spoke with Svatos.
Budaj, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings, said that Svatos didn’t mention anything that could indicate any problems or which seemed out of the ordinary. His statements only confirm reports describing Svatos’ death being a tragic and unexpected accident.
„We and our families had known each other for years. I was at his wedding in Croatia (Editor’s note: Joe Sakic also attended the wedding). Nothing in our call indicated that he wouldn’t be here in four days. He said he and his family were all doing fine. He asked me to send some training plans, as he wanted to resume practicing and maybe restart his hockey career. It surprised me in a positive way,“ said Budaj in the interview.
Marek Svatos died last Saturday in his home in Denver, where he lived after retiring from hockey along with his American wife and two children. According to several media reports, „a drug (medicine) overdoes” could’ve played a role in his death. The cause of his death has not yet been officially confirmed. According to the family source, Eurolanche.com reported earlier Marek’s death was an accident.
If the Svatos family decides to organize a public farewell ceremony with Marek, the Eurolanche Fan Club will inform about date and location in advance.
David Puchovsky, Slovakia, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
10/11/2016 - 15:30
