Slovakia did not have to wait very long to redeem itself from the very disappointing 2002 Olympic showing in Salt Lake. The players themselves showed the commitment necessary, as virtually all high profile NHL stars agreed to participate when asked. These stars  Miroslav Satan, Peter Bonda, Ziggy Palffy and Ladislav Nagy led the team to its first ever IIHF World Championship title. The final game in Gothenburg against Russia had roughly 1000 Slovakian fans in attendance and included among them was the president of the country  Rudolf Schuster. Schuster would later inform the players that this victory was a great way to help further the unification of their new nation.