Team Canada opens its Olympics men hockey game campaign in dominant fashion at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, defeating Czechia 5-0 behind a strong performance from goaltender Jordan Binnington.
According to NHL, the starting goalie debate surrounded Canada heading into the tournament, but head coach Jon Cooper said his decision was never in doubt after the win at Santagiulia Arena.
“Well, probably about 358 days ago,” Cooper said, referring to right around the time Binnington led Canada to a championship at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“In the end you have to perform”, he added.
Binnington delivers with 26 saves, while goals from Macklin Celebrini, Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki help Canada secure the Group A victory.
Connor McDavid recorded three assists, and Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley added two each.
Czechia goalie Lukas Dostal makes 31 saves in the loss. Czech captain Radko Gudas praised his teammate’s effort, saying: “He showed it last the few times he played at international level, he shows me every game in Anaheim that he is a world-class goalie.”
Binnington, who faced questions about his recent club form, said: “It felt good. Every team, every country has some star players so we know they were going to come at some point.”
Cooper added: “I have the utmost confidence in that kid… He’s got a lot of pride, a lot of talent and he’s done it a lot on different stages.”
