MILAN \u2013 It did not take long for Connor McDavid to make his presence felt in Milan. The Edmonton Oilers centre knocked over Czechia\u2019s Lukas Sedlak with a big hit during the first shift of his first Olympic game.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little bit of a different environment for us so it\u2019s new for everybody,\u201d McDavid told TSN\u2019s Ryan Rishaug. \u201cThe rink\u2019s new, the Olympic Games, everything\u2019s new, so was just trying to get into the game early and was happy with how things went.\u201d<\/p>\n
A frustrated Sedlak ended up taking a holding penalty by grabbing McDavid and bringing him to the ice at the end of the shift. <\/p>\n
McDavid\u2019s opening statement had Canada\u2019s bench buzzing. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll the boys got pretty fired up,\u201d said Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki. \u201cJust lined the guy up really well and blew him up. So, really set the tone there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand initially thought that it was McDavid\u2019s linemate, bruising Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson, who landed the hit. <\/p>\n
\u201cMarchy, honestly, when I got back to the bench said, \u2018Great hit Willy,\u2019\u201d Wilson revealed with a grin. \u201cI said, \u2018That was Davo.\u2019 And he said, \u2018Oh my [goodness], looked like you.\u2019 That\u2019s what it takes. Everybody\u2019s doing whatever they can. Everyone\u2019s taking on any role. When it\u2019s your time to hit a guy, you hit him. When it\u2019s your time to block a shot, you block a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDavid went on to pile up three assists in Canada\u2019s 5-0 win on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows you when you put this jersey on there\u2019s nobody in that room that is entitled or anything like that,\u201d Canada head coach Jon Cooper said. \u201cThis is game on. They do everything possible to win … That\u2019s what\u2019s great about this group. Listen, it\u2019s just one game, but the way we\u2019ve started and the way today\u2019s gone, pretty proud and confident in the way this team\u2019s going to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Can’t say enough good things about him’: McDavid impressed by Celebrini’s performance Following Canada’s opening win over Czechia, Connor McDavid spoke about being tested in the first game, how he adapted to the game early on and Macklin Celebrini’s impressive performance. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Canada and Czechia were evenly matched over the first 20 minutes with each side landing 11 shots on net.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first period was definitely one of the hardest-checking periods of the season so far and I expect more of that,\u201d Suzuki said. <\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s game represented Canada\u2019s first best-on-best Olympic encounter since 2014 and the excitement and anticipation was palpable in the building and on the ice. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what I liked, I thought we got better as that game went on,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cI don\u2019t care who anybody is, whether you\u2019re Sid [Crosby] to [Drew] Doughty to [Macklin] Celebrini, when you\u2019re playing in the Olympics for the first time it never gets old and everyone\u2019s got the jitters and I think you could tell that in the beginning of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the tension built, Canada\u2019s youngest player got to work. Celebrini, 19, deflected home a point shot by Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar to open the scoring with just 5.7 seconds left in the opening period. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I met Mac this summer, you could tell he just had that attitude, that swagger where he was going to be a great player for a long time,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cAt that age, you just don\u2019t see that and I could just tell.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cBesides the goal, he played great,\u201d said McDavid. \u201cJust so, so solid along the wall. Made so many great plays. Kept so many pucks alive. Really, really impressive kid. I can\u2019t say enough good things about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s top line with McDavid between Celebrini and Wilson showed plenty of promise. <\/p>\n
\u201cMacklin did a great job getting in, getting pucks, turning stuff over,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cWe were good on the foreheck. We were getting a lot of pucks back and transitioning them well towards the net.\u201d <\/p>\n
Milano Cortina 2026: Men’s Hockey – Czechia 0, Canada 5 In their opening match against Czechia on Thursday, Macklin Celebrini tipped home Cale Makar’s point shot for Canada’s first goal of the tournament. Mitch Marner connected with Golden Knights teammate Mark Stone for Canada’s second and Bo Horvat buried the breakaway goal later in the period to extend Canada’s lead. Connor McDavid finished with three assists and Jordan Binnington made 26 saves for the shutout in Canada’s first win of the preliminary round. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Canada extended the lead in the second period when Mitch Marner made a beautiful move to set up his Vegas Golden Knights teammate Mark Stone. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe played together a couple games throughout this year so we have pretty good chemistry and know where each other are going,\u201d Marner said. \u201cHe\u2019s really good at getting to the back side of the net and holding his stick down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marner picked up a pass from Crosby on the boards and quickly cut toward the net. He then flipped a backhand pass just over sliding defenceman David Spacek. Marner jumped over Spacek at the end of the play. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou just trust your skills and the plays you do,\u201d said Marner. \u201cI try to work on passing all throughout the summer and little plays that are on and off the stick and just getting it up in the air quickly and coming down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marchand sprang New York Islanders centre Bo Horvat for a breakaway goal later in the middle stanza to put Canada up 3-0. <\/p>\n
Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon scored on a power play in the third period before Suzuki added a fifth goal by deflecting in a pass from McDavid. All four of Canada\u2019s lines hit the scoresheet. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe just want to make everyone back home proud and the guy next to you,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cYou want to play for the guy next to you and give it all you got. We got a solid identity through one game and we\u2019ll stay dialled in here and just keep building.\u201d <\/p>\n
Canada will face Switzerland in their second of three preliminary-round games on Friday.<\/p>\n
Canada’s offensive firepower on full display in dominant win over Czechia TSN Hockey analysts Martin Biron and Frankie Corrado join SportsCentre to explain what stood out to them about Canada’s win over Czechia, how big of a loss if would be for the Canadians if Josh Morrissey doesn’t return to the lineup, and if the net should be Jordan Binnington’s in the big games after Thursday’s 26-save shutout. <\/p>\n
— <\/p>\n
Jordan Binnington rewarded Cooper\u2019s faith by posting a 26-save shutout in his Olympic debut. When did the coach decide to give the struggling St. Louis Blues goalie the start? <\/p>\n
\u201cWell, probably 358 days ago,\u201d Cooper said with a smile. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a loyalty thing, but I have the utmost confidence in that kid. He\u2019s proven it. Even when he\u2019s had little stumbles, when push has come to shove, the kid\u2019s been there for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was back on Feb. 20, 2025, 358 days ago, that Binnington backstopped Canada to an overtime win over the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off final. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a lot of pride and he\u2019s got a lot of talent and he\u2019s done it on a lot of different stages so you gotta give the kid his shot,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cI feel like he\u2019s deserved this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Binnington lost his final seven games with the Blues heading into the Olympics, but wearing the Maple Leaf seems to help the 32-year-old elevate. <\/p>\n
\u201cCompletely different environment being in Europe,\u201d Binnington told Rishaug. \u201cWe had the walk over from the dressing room [located in a different building] and this was a little different and kind of didn\u2019t have time to think. Get out there and play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Multiple teammates highlighted Binnington\u2019s puck-handling ability as a big factor in the game. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have such confidence when he\u2019s in that net,\u201d said Marner. \u201cSo good at playing the puck as well … As a forward, you got to be ready just in case because he\u2019s going to get that puck around on his forehand or backhand and looking to make a play off the wall and spring the offence.\u201d <\/p>\n
Binnington\u2019s .864 save percentage is among the worst marks in the NHL this season, but he looked calm and composed throughout Thursday\u2019s game. <\/p>\n
\u201cI love that guy,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cHe\u2019s a gamer. I know him well. I train with him every summer. He played phenomenal. He made the saves he needed early and then he allowed us to get going and just looked great. Made a lot of good plays with the puck, swallowed everything up, made a couple highlight-reel saves so he\u2019s a guy you can get behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hockey Canada’s faith in Binnington pays off in Olympic opener Mark Masters is joined by Pierre LeBrun and Ryan Rishaug to discuss Hockey Canada’s faith in Jordan Binnington as well as the goalie’s performance against Czechia, Macklin Celebrini’s impressive outing in his Olympic debut, and how all four of Team Canada’s lines were clicking in their opening win. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Josh Morrissey left the game in the second period after sustaining an undisclosed injury. Cooper did not have an update on the Winnipeg Jets defenceman\u2019s status. <\/p>\n
Travis Sanheim, who sat as a healthy scratch, is the next man up on Canada\u2019s defence. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Team Canada\u2019s lines in Thursday\u2019s game: <\/p>\n
Celebrini – McDavid – Wilson<\/p>\n
Hagel – MacKinnon – Suzuki<\/p>\n
Marner – Crosby – Stone<\/p>\n
Marchand – Horvat – Reinhart<\/p>\n
Bennett <\/p>\n
Toews – Makar<\/p>\n
Morrissey – Parayko<\/p>\n
Harley – Doughty<\/p>\n
Theodore<\/p>\n
Binnington starts<\/p>\n
Thompson<\/p>\n
Scratches: Seth Jarvis, Travis Sanheim, Darcy Kuemper <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILAN \u2013 It did not take long for Connor McDavid to make his presence felt in Milan. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4759,32611,5,42191,33301,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-456324","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-connor-mcdavid-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8478402","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-jordan-binnington-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8476412","12":"tag-macklin-celebrini-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8484801","13":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/456325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=456324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=456324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}