What we learned about Canada in its Olympic opener against Czechia

On Thursday, Canada defeated Czechia 5-0 in its first of three round-robin games at the 2026 Olympics in Italy. Here are our biggest takeaways:

Separating quality on full display

Clinical.

That's the word that best describes Canada's dominating debut in Milan.

Not a single player among the 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and one goalie who saw ice time against Czechia disappointed. Depth of talent, especially up front, is one of Canada's greatest strengths, but what truly sets this team apart at this tournament is its megastar layer atop the roster.

No other country has an equivalent to Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon. And no one else possesses the nuclear option of pairing Nos. 97 and 29 together, or the luxury of sending Cale Makar over the boards for super-charged shifts featuring three top-five players on the planet. If Canada's leaders are humming, it'll win gold.

Head coach Jon Cooper on Thursday chose to deploy first-time Olympians McDavid and MacKinnon on different lines, bumping all-time great Sidney Crosby to third-line center. The spread-the-wealth approach worked out wonderfully. Czechia, Canada's stiffest competition in Group A, was in survival mode for virtually the entire game, simply chasing the play.

Canada recorded 36 scoring chances as a team, according to data tracked by hockey analyst Dimitri Filipovic. McDavid factored in on 14 of them.

Czechia's grand total? A dozen. Not 12 for star winger David Pastrnak or Pastrnak's line with NHL stars Marty Necas and Tomas Hertl - 12 total.

McDavid, leading a line with 19-year-old phenom Macklin Celebrini and hit-machine Tom Wilson, delivered a thunderous hit of his own on his first shift. He consistently flashed world-class speed and skill throughout the game, earning three assists. The McDavid-Celebrini playing style fit is undeniable.

MacKinnon scored on the power play, won 10 of 13 faceoffs, and seemed to hit everything that moved while skating with Brandon Hagel and Nick Suzuki.

Crosby, flanked by Mitch Marner and Mark Stone on a line bursting with hockey IQ, recorded two assists. The first came during a gorgeous passing sequence in which all five Canadians on the ice touched the puck, culminating in a nifty Marner saucer pass to Stone around Czechia's crease.

Again, the word "clinical" comes to mind.

To put an even finer point on it: Sam Reinhart, a 50 goal-scorer and easily a first-liner on most Olympic teams, was a member of Canada's fourth line.

Binnington plants flag

Jordan Binnington entered the tournament as the most doubted man on Canada's roster - and rightfully so, given the ghastly numbers he's put up in 32 NHL games this season. But there Binnington was on Thursday, performing admirably under the bright lights like he's done many times before.

The 32-year-old was a calming presence from puck drop to the final buzzer, turning aside all 26 Czechia shots and rarely looking out of position. He also handled the puck often and executed several outlet passes. Though his rebound control was rocky to start, he turned things around halfway through the contest.

The famously hot-headed Binnington even kept his cool after Czech forward Radek Faksa ran him over in the third period.

Less-obvious standouts

Drew Doughty: The oldest member of Canada's blue line wasn't named to his third Olympic team to generate offense. And he's perfectly fine with that.

Doughty's in Milan to play a simple yet effective shutdown game, and he checked off the right boxes in 19 minutes. The Los Angeles Kings blue-liner had tight gaps in the neutral zone, laid the body along the boards and in front of the net, held his own skating-wise despite the ultra-fast-paced action, and kept the puck moving away from Canada's net every shift.

Bo Horvat: The New York Islanders pivot finished with the third-fewest minutes among Canadian forwards but accomplished plenty in 9:54. Horvat displayed strong skating and poise on a nifty breakaway goal while contributing in subtle ways.

If the opener is any indication, Horvat appears to be Cooper's safety blanket up front. Lightning center Anthony Cirelli - who Cooper trusts immensely in defensive situations - was originally named to the squad for his penalty killing and faceoff winning abilities. But he's out for the Olympics due to injury. Guess what? Horvat, who can alternate between wing and center, was leaned on for key defensive-zone draws and a part of the first PK unit in the opener.

Uncertainty surrounds Morrissey

Josh Morrissey's departure was the lone blemish for Canada.

The Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman finished with a team-low 7:10 after an injury forced him out of the game in the second period. His absence for any amount of time would be a major blow to the blue line, though Cooper couldn't provide an official update on Morrissey's status postgame.

Silver lining: The rest of the defense corps looked terrific.

Colorado Avalanche partners Makar and Devon Toews were dominant. Thomas Harley skated and moved pucks at efficient rates. Colton Parayko played his usual heavy and steady game. Shea Theodore, who began as the seventh defenseman, was extremely consistent in all three zones despite having to rotate partners every other shift prior to Morrissey's departure.

If Canada rules Morrissey out for Friday's game against Switzerland, the pairings will likely be Toews-Makar, Harley-Doughty, and Theodore-Parayko, with Travis Sanheim drawing in as the seventh D-man.

Expect Cooper to throw Logan Thompson or Darcy Kuemper between the pipes on Friday to avoid back-to-back starts for Binnington. Make no mistake, though, Binnington's the starter. He earned that label on Thursday.