The Athletic covers the match live 2026 Winter Olympics.
MILAN — Team Canada began its quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey with a dominant 5-0 victory Thursday over a tough Czech team at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Macklin Celebrini, Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki scored for Team Canada, which got even-strength goals from a member of the front four lines and a power play marker, along with 26 saves from Jordan Binnington for the shutout.
“We’re here to win a gold medal,” said Connor McDavid, who had three assists, six shots and a tone-setting check that shook Lukas Sedlak in his first appearance. “Today was the beginning of that journey.”
Coach Jon Cooper said before the tournament he wanted more balance in his lines as he believed one of the lessons of last year’s 4 Nations showdown was that the fast, demanding pace meant players could manage fewer minutes. Thus, McDavid, MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby began the Olympic Games by centering each of the different trios.
For one night it worked perfectly. After a balanced first period, Canada locked down defensively in the final 40 minutes and its pace seemed increasingly difficult for the Czechs to manage as the match progressed.
“Hey, look, it’s just one game,” Cooper said. “But if this is how we started and the way today played out, I’m pretty proud and confident in the way this team is going to play.”
Canada loses Josh Morrissey early in second period
Canadian defender Josh Morrissey, who missed the 4 Nations championship match due to illness, was unable to finish the opening match of the Olympics.
It’s unclear exactly what happened to Morrissey, but with just over a minute left in the first period, he appeared to inadvertently clip his left leg on the leg of Czech forward Martin Nečas as he left the Canadian zone. Morrissey returned for the second period, but only played one shift before returning to the Canadian locker room. He didn’t come back.
While Olympic lineups allowed teams to dress seven defensemen, Morrissey was replaced on Canada’s second pair by Colton Parayko by Shea Theodore, who was rotating on the third pair with Drew Doughty and Thomas Harley in the first period. Canada has Travis Sanheim on the roster, and he would be in the lineup if Morrissey is unable to play Friday night against Switzerland.
No. 97 with the tone giver
Cooper said after his team’s first practice Sunday that one of the reasons Tom Wilson played with McDavid was because everyone needs a good F1, or a good forecheck, on a line.
“And that big kid is one of the best I’ve seen,” Cooper said of Wilson.
On his first shift, McDavid could have told his coach that he didn’t need any help in this area, and at the same time signaled to his team that after a few days of immersion in the Olympic experience, things were now serious.
When Canada put the puck deep, McDavid was shot out of a cannon while chasing it, and poor Sedlak never knew what hit him, absorbing a massive hit from No. 97 that left the extremely partisan Czech crowd silent. Later in that span, Sedlak was called for holding McDavid.
“Well, it just goes to show you that when you put on that jersey, there’s no one in that room that’s entitled to it or anything like that,” Cooper said. “It’s ‘Game On,’ you do everything you can to win. And if your contribution is effective, then that’s what the guys will do, even if it’s not what they’re used to doing in the NHL.”
Wilson added: “(Brad Marchand), honestly, when I came back on the bench, he said, ‘Great shot Willy.’ I said, “It was Davo.” » He said, “Oh my God, that looked like you.” This is what is needed. Everyone does what they can, everyone takes on any role. When it’s time to hit a guy, you hit him. When it’s time to block a shot, you block a shot. It was fun, fun to get one under our belt.
A pretty good start to McDavid’s Olympic career.
“Our team wants to play hard,” McDavid said. “Everyone wants to play hard in this tournament. You want to be a team that plays hard on the forecheck, and you don’t just have to have Willy or Benny (Sam Bennett) there.”
Later, early in the second period, Wilson showed F1 prowess on the forecheck when he leveled Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas with a crushing shot along the end boards. This was one of many major blows dealt by Wilson.
Binnington starts and shines
There has been much debate in a hockey-loving nation over who should start in goal for Team Canada, and the most popular choice, judging by social media, certainly wasn’t Jordan Binnington.
However, it should come as no surprise that Binnington actually got the Olympic opening. There is a strong belief that once Canada’s management and coaching staff agreed to put the struggling St. Louis Blues goaltender on the roster on Dec. 31, it came with the mission prepared for Game 1. If he makes the team because of his 4 Nations work and not his current form, then his body of work effectively allows him to start the first game.
And not only did he win the match, but Binnington also got a shutout, something he didn’t do at the 4 Nations.
“Well, probably 358 days ago,” Cooper said when asked when he decided Binnington would start against the Czechs. “Look, at the end of the day, you have to perform. It’s not about loyalty… but I have the utmost confidence in this kid. He’s proven it.
“Even when he’s had little stumbles, when one bump after another, the kid has been there for us. It’s not going to guarantee that he’ll do this continuously, but he’s got a lot of pride, he’s got a lot of talent and he’s done it on a lot of different stages. So you’ve got to give the kid a chance.”
Keep in mind what Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong – who is also the Blues general manager – told us on December 31. Binnington was a unanimous choice of the management/coaching group.
“That was the most interesting part. Because my comfort level with him doesn’t waver. Because I work with him every day. And any success I’ve had in St. Louis is on his back,” Armstrong said. Athletics on December 31. “But what impressed me the most was how little time the rest of the group devoted to Jordan’s numbers this year. He carried the same respect from everyone in the group, from the coaches to the management. Which was very impressive.”
Binnington looked in fine form for the 4 Nations on Thursday against Czechia, tracking the puck well through traffic, looking very comfortable with the Czech bodies around his net and controlling his rebounds.
“We have all the confidence in the world in Jordan,” said Mitch Marner.
It’s only one game, but the decision to start Binnington can only be seen as a total vindication for the coaching staff. Because it might blow up in their faces.
Does Logan Thompson deserve to start at the Olympics based on his form throughout the season? Of course. And while he may start Friday night against a tough Swiss team, Binnington showed Thursday, in a win over the Czech Republic, why Team Canada is steadfast in its belief in him despite his season-long struggles.
He ignores the noise of criticism about the state of Canada’s goaltending.
“I’m just in my own process,” Binnington said. “On a daily basis and doing my thing. »
The youngster got Canada on the board and looked comfortable next to McDavid
Celebrini scored Canada’s first goal of the tournament when he scored on a point shot from Cale Makar with 5.7 seconds left in the first period. Above all, he didn’t look like a 19-year-old teenager overwhelmed by the big stage. The physicality, the pace, the lack of space, none of that shook Celebrini. Far from it. He looked calm and confidently played with the puck all over the ice.
“I can’t say enough good things about this kid,” McDavid said.
Crosby added: “It was his first Olympics and stuff like that, he looked pretty comfortable there. It was great to see him win one.”
There were doubts about whether the San Jose Sharks’ Hart Trophy candidate was ready to take that step in his second NHL season. It would be premature to suggest Celebrini has erased that doubt after one game, but it would be easy for a player of his age and stature to have nerves about lining up on Canada’s top line with McDavid and Wilson.
If he had nerves, Celebrini showed no evidence of it.
“Nerves, excitement, all of it,” Celebrini said. “My heart was racing, I kind of wanted to get out on the ice and start playing. It’s kind of what we’ve been waiting for since the team was selected, so it was good to get out and start the process.”
