ESPN.com · Feb 12
Grades, questions from Canada's Olympic hockey win vs. Czechia
Share
Copy Link
LikeOpen Extended Reactions
Reactions
Like
Fire
Canada entered the 2026 Olympics men's ice hockey tournament as the odds-on favorites for the gold medal.
After one game, the team did little to dissuade that notion.
The team full of NHL superstars took until the final seconds of the first period to score its first goal, but added four thereafter to cruise to a 5-0 win over Czechia in Group A action.
Here are the top lessons learned from the opener, along with the player of the game, an overall team grade, and a key question to ponder before Friday's contest against Switzerland.
Takeaway 1: The kid's alright