Macklin Celebrini goal highlights Canada’s shellacking of Czechia…
MILAN – About 1 / 4 century in the past, when he first joined Team Canada’s entrance workplace, basic supervisor Doug Armstrong felt like the Canadians began every tournament “on third base.”
“Using a baseball analogy, everybody else was on second or first,” he said on Wednesday, before the team he assembled opened the Olympic tournament with a 5-0 win over Czechia. “Now there’s a lot of countries on third base, too, and that’s great for hockey.”
The parity via the first two days has been obvious, even between the favored Team Canada and Czechia. It was a neck-and-neck game until the final seconds of the first interval, when the youngest participant on Canada’s roster – and in the complete tournament – deflected the puck in entrance to open the scoring.
Macklin Celebrini of Canada celebrates scoring his first goal against Czechia. IMAGN IMAGES through REUTERS
It was just the start of what is bound to be a protracted, and presumably illustrious, Olympic profession for Macklin Celebrini.
The 19-year-old, who turned the youngest Canadian NHLer to score a goal at the Olympics, is anticipated to be at the heart of worldwide best-on-best competitors to return.
Like Canada captain Sidney Crosby, the participant who Celebrini has repeatedly been in comparison with during his breakout 2025-26 season, the younger celebrity will likely be charged with upholding the customary that comes with donning the Maple Leaf.
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
And as the competitors round the globe continues to develop, Canada can only hope Celebrini has the same impression that Crosby had.
Celebrini might have gotten Team Canada happening the scoreboard, however goalie Jordan Binnington stopped all 26 pictures he noticed. Despite backstopping Canada to a championship at 4 Nations this time last 12 months, Binnington has been surrounded by doubters amid his worst NHL season since 2015-’16.
When the red-and-white sweater comes on, however, Binnington does too.
Canada’s Jordan Binnington performs the puck in entrance of Czechia’s Lukas Sedlak. REUTERS
Head coach Jon Cooper alluded to the chance of getting more than one goalie some time of their first game. The competitiveness of Czechia appeared to forestall that from taking place.
Stay up to date with the latest action and trending tales from the world of sports activities! C-lebrity.com brings you the freshest sports activities news, highlights, and professional insights — all rigorously curated to maintain you informed and engaged. From major league updates to inspiring athlete tales, we cowl it multi functional place.
Visit C-lebrity.com daily for complete coverage of the games, tournaments, and sporting moments that matter most — your final source for the whole lot sports activities and leisure.