France Sees Olympic Hopes Die vs. Czechia

If Team France wanted any chance to finding its way to the podium, it needed to beat Czechia.

Feb 12, 2026; Milan, Italy; Alexandre Texier of France in action with Pius Suter of Switzerla during a Group A men's ice hockey game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Down 2-0 to Czechia on Feb. 13, the French Olympic men’s hockey team had one opportunity to revive its flailing hopes of taking home a medal. Those aspirations were already dwindling heading into the matchup — Team France was one of the largest underdogs to land on the podium from the beginning — but they were really on life support after going down by two to a formidable foe like the Czechs.

Then a miracle seemed to occur. Despite being outshot by a tremendous margin, France netted three goals within the span of five minutes to take a 3-2 lead in the second period. Team Czechia was shocked. So was the entire arena. Heck, the whole world was in awe. The scrappy French, with just one NHL player on their roster, were on the verge of pulling off a shocking upset.

But just like a wobbly Jenga tower, everything came crashing down in extraordinary fashion. David Pastrnak, the captain of the Boston Bruins, scored to tie the game later in the second period, and then Matej Stransky gave Czechia the lead for good on one of the wackiest shorthanded goals of all time.

Stars forward Radek Faksa and Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek factored on Matej Stransky's shorthanded goal to put Czechia up 4-3 to finish out the second period.

For more #NHLStats from #MilanoCortina2026 #WinterOlympics: https://t.co/qosuMntLKY pic.twitter.com/aaBdwLmCXo

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While the French were in the middle of a lackluster line change, the Czechs took advantage of their discombobulated opponent and somehow managed to get a three-man rush with no resistance. The result was an easy goal and a 6-3 loss that killed France’s dreams of making the podium for good.

The Underdogs Will Go Home With Their Tails Between Their Legs

Feb 12, 2026; Milan, Italy; Athletes of Switzerland shake hands with Athletes of France at the end of the match during a Group A men's ice hockey game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

France earning a medal in men’s ice hockey was always going to be a long shot. The only NHL player on the roster is Alexandre Texier, a forward for the Montreal Canadiens who isn’t exactly a household name. That lack of talent — at least compared to the other teams in the tournament — made it extremely difficult for the French to grab a foothold in Group A.

But the universe had awarded them a chance to do just that, nonetheless. All France had to do was hold on against Czechia. If it had pulled that minor miracle off, then it wouldn’t be floundering at the bottom of the Group A standings and would instead be set up for a favorable draw in the knockout stage. Now, the French will most likely take a loss in the preliminary-round finale to Team Canada and will head into the single-elimination portion of the tournament on the back foot.

In short, any sort of run to the podium for Team France would’ve required a victory over Czechia. Since that didn’t happen, everything that France was aiming to accomplish in Milan is dead and gone.

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