Canada's Depth Stands Tall in Win Over Czechia

Canada and Czechia kicked off their preliminary action at the 2026 Winter Olympics against one another, pitting two of the top countries against each other immediately.

The game sounded like a home game for Czechia at times, as the Milan crowd was overwhelmingly in the Eastern European nation's favor, but Team Canada fans still had plenty to be excited about as they put together a dominating effort to secure the victory.

After scoring three goals in the first two periods and surviving Czechia's last-period stand, Canada came away victorious. It was a tribute to their offensive depth, as it helped them stand tall in a 5-0 victory.

Horvat's Arrival

Canada and New York Islanders center Bo Horvat took a stick to the face at the end of the first period. The collision caused some swelling and a visible mark under his eye, and it also ignited a fire under the veteran pivot.

Towards the end of the second period, he received a beautiful pass from Brad Marchand as he was streaking toward the offensive zone. With a ton of speed, he barreled in on Czechia goalie Lukas Dostal and made a nifty little move before burying a back-handed goal underneath the puck-stopper.

It was a dagger for Czechia, which was hanging on despite a two-goal deficit. Horvat's tally gave Canada the edge that their opponent could not recover from.

Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel (38) during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against the United States at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

New Kid on the Block

The best in the world have a way of elevating at the Olympics, which is why no one should be surprised that San Jose Sharks superstar and Canada's youngest player, Macklin Celebrini, opened up the scoring with a beautiful re-direction in the first period.

With that tally, Celebrini made some history in his Olympics debut. He became the youngest Canadian to score at the event after already becoming the Men's Hockey's youngest ever participant on the Olympics stage.

The Tale of Two Binningtons

One of the only lineup questions facing Canada is in goal. Jordan Binnington backstopped the team to gold at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, but he's had a difficult NHL season with the St. Louis Blues. He entered the Olympics as the team's worst statistical goalie, but head coach Jon Cooper still tabbed him as the starter.

Binnington responded with an incredible performance, confirming Cooper's decision. The Czech offense was nearly even in shots on goal with Canada through two periods, but the difference was the veteran netminder. He turned aside all 22 shots he faced in the opening two frames before coming up clutch in the third with another four saves to pitch the shutout.

One Loss with the Win

Despite the victory, Canada has one big loss to deal with. Early in the second period, defenseman Josh Morrissey left the team's bench and did not return for any action. The Winnipeg Jets blue liner was expected to log heavy minutes in Canada's quest for gold.

If Morrissey can't go, the team will turn to Travis Sanheim to fill in their defense.

One major issue also arises if Morrissey's injury is significant. Since Canada has begun their preliminary schedule, their roster is now set. That means they cannot add any injury replacements, even if Morrissey were to be out the remainder of the games. This is a departure from the 4 Nations Face-Off, when injury replacements were brought in all the way up through the gold medal contest.

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