MILAN – Macklin Celebrini headed to the net in the dying seconds of the first period.
The youngest player taking part in the NHL’s return to the world stage saw Cale Makar’s hopeful effort coming his way.
With a flick of the wrists, Celebrini left an early mark on the Olympics — and sent Canada on its way to a convincing victory in the country’s curtain-raiser.
The 19-year-old opened the scoring and Jordan Binnington made 26 saves for the shutout Thursday as the hockey power opened its quest for men’s gold at the Milan Cortina Games with a 5-0 victory over Czechia.
“It kind of slowed down as the shot came through,” Celebrini said. “I think that’s my first tip goal in a while.”
“Nerves, excitement, all of the above,” he added. “My heart was racing.”
Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki had the other goals. Connor McDavid added three assists, while Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley chipped in two each. Lukas Dostal stopped 31 shots for the overmatched Czechs.
“Can’t say enough good things about that kid,” McDavid said of Celebrini. “He’s so, so impressive … he’s a great young player. Not just because he’s so good with the puck, but just all the little things he does, the hard work he has.”
Binnington, meanwhile, was in the crosshairs after leading Canada onto the ice for warm-ups at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The goaltender was a hero for his country at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, but the crease represented the biggest question mark coming into the tournament, with his iffy numbers in the NHL this season.
“Every team, every country has some star players,” Binnington said. “We did a good job holding (Czechia) down and letting me see pucks.”
Head coach Jon Cooper mused he decided the Stanley Cup-hoisting netminder would be the starter “probably 358 days ago” following his performance in Canada’s dramatic 4 Nations final victory over the United States.
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“This isn’t a loyalty thing … but I have the utmost confidence in that kid,” Cooper said. “He’s proven it. Even when he’s had little stumbles, when push comes to shove, the kid’s been there for us. It’s not going to guarantee that he’s going to do that continually moving forward, but he’s got a lot of pride, he’s got a lot of talent.
“Done it on a lot of different stages.”
The NHL is back at the Olympics after a 12-year absence. The league declined to attend the 2018 event in Pyeongchang, South Korea, before COVID-19 scuttled plans for a return in Beijing four years ago.
Canada won best-on-best gold with its men’s stars at the 2002, 2010 and 2014 Games, with Crosby and defenceman Drew Doughty back from the latter two looking for a third finish atop a Games podium.
Switzerland topped France 4-0 in the early Group A game. The Canadians, with a roster of 19 returnees from 4 Nations and playing its first game at an Olympics with NHLers in 4,373 days, meet the Swiss on Friday. The Czechs and French will tangle in the other matchup.
Canada was greeted by whistles and boos from the boisterous, colourful, Czech-heavy crowd ahead of Thursday’s much-anticipated puck drop.
The Canadians came out flying in the opening moments, including a big hit from McDavid on Lukas Sedlak.
“When he sets a tone like that, I think we all want to follow,” said Crosby, the country’s captain. “He’s a guy that creates (offensively) so many different ways, but with him being physical, that’s just another aspect of the game.”
Canada’s star-studded, lightning-quick power play failed to connect despite some decent looks before MacKinnon’s shot that flew in past Dostal’s glove was negated by a Suzuki tripping penalty.
David Kampf had a great chance to put the Czechs in front later in the period, but Binnington made a desperation save while lying on the ice and the net staring his opponent in the face.
After Celebrini, the youngest Canadian to play at an Olympics involving the NHL, put his team up 1-0 with 5.7 seconds left in the first, Mitch Marner picked up the puck along the boards and delivered a beautiful saucer pass over a sprawling Czech player for Stone to tap home at 6:40 of the second.
The Canadians kept coming and made it 3-0 at 17:26 when Horvat split a sloppy defence and slid a puck between Dostal’s pads.
“Pretty surreal, pretty amazing,” Horvat said. “Something you dream of as a little kid.”
It wasn’t all good news for the team in white with a red Maple Leaf on their chests, however, as defenceman Josh Morrisey left the game early in the period and didn’t return. Cooper didn’t have an update on the blueliner’s injury status post-game.
The Czech fans stayed in full voice throughout much of the game at the packed 11,600-seat venue, but were silenced again midway through the third when MacKinnon scored on a power play off a slick setup from McDavid and Crosby at 7:42.
“Two of the best players ever to play passing it to me is cool,” MacKinnon said. “Anyone would have put that in.”
Suzuki made it 5-0 on another McDavid feed at 13:22 to cap a result that was never really in doubt — especially after Celebrini got the ball rolling.
“Just trying to embrace it,” the youngster said of life under an intense Olympic glare. “Trying to not let it weigh you down. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of nerves going into it.
“Once you get you there, you feel free, and you’re just able to play your game.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2026.