Canada shows why it's the Olympic favorite by routing Czechia 5-0 in its tournament opener

MILAN (AP) — Macklin Celebrini scored Canada's first goal in the return of the NHL to the Olympics and Jordan Binnington stopped all 26 shots he faced in a 5-0 defeat of Czechia on Thursday that showed the tournament favorite is already a well-oiled machine.

Celebrini, his country's youngest player at 19, deflected a shot by Cale Makar past Lukas Dostal with 5.7 seconds left in the first, putting an exclamation point on a terrific, back-and-forth period. After Mitch Marner's saucer pass to Mark Stone for his goal and Bo Horvat's on a breakaway later in the second, Czechia never stood a chance.

The handful of times Binnington got tested, he was there to make the save. Before Celebrini scored, Binnington kept it 0-0 by making a left-pad stop on Michal Kempny and reaching out to smother David Kampf's rebound attempt.

At the other end of the ice, Dostal played well but was helpless to slow down much of the onslaught. There was nothing he could do on the Sidney Crosby to Connor McDavid to Nathan MacKinnon tic-tac-toe power-play goal in the third period.

The same trio combined for almost the same goal in opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago. Canada won that Olympic appetizer by beating the U.S. — which opens Thursday night against Latvia — in overtime.

McDavid had three assists, including one on Nick Suzuki's goal that made it 5-0.

Adding NHL talent to a group that made a deep run in an international tournament last spring, Switzerland opened the Olympics with a statement victory against France.

Timo Meier of the New Jersey Devils scored twice in the third period, 39-year-old national team goaltender Leonardo Genoni stopped all 27 shots he faced and Switzerland shut out France 4-0 on Thursday. Damien Riat scored 55 seconds in, J.J. Moser of the Tampa Bay Lightning made it a two-goal lead three minutes in and there wasn't much to worry about the rest of the way.

“It helps you a lot if you score two in the first, whatever it was, five minutes,” Moser said. "It just gives you a little bit more comfort, more confidence also for the rest of the game.”

The goals by Meier put the game out of reach after he and his teammates tilted the ice toward Keller. Meier called it “a mature performance there how we put the game away.”

With a boisterous contingent of fans in attendance, Switzerland outshot France 43-27 and sent them home happy.

A part of that was the play in net of Genoni, the 38-year-old who backstopped his country on an improbable run to the final at the world championships last spring before losing 1-0 to the U.S. in overtime. Genoni, who was tournament MVP with a 0.99 goals-against average and 0.953 save percentage, wasn't sweating getting a shutout and is more worried about the rest of the Olympics.

“It’s a great start,” Genoni said. “We had a really, really good start into the game and could shut the door behind. It’s a perfect start for us.”

Switzerland next plays Canada on Friday.

“Obviously a big team coming up," forward Nino Niederreiter said. "We’re going to try our best to poke the bear a little bit and see if we can go from there.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Canada's Macklin Celebrini celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Czech Republic and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Czechia's Radim Simek tries to block a shot by Canada's Connor McDavid during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Czech Republic and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

during a preliminary round match of men's ice Canada's Macklin Celebrini celebrates after scoring his sides first goal past Czechia's goalkeeper Lukas Dostal hockey between Czech Republic and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Switzerland's goalkeeper Leonardo Genoni , makes a save during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Switzerland and France at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Switzerland's goalkeeper Leonardo Genoni, right, celebrates with teammates after a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Switzerland and France at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Switzerland's Timo Meier, center, scores his sides third goal past France's goalkeeper Antoine Keller during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Switzerland and France at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP)

Switzerland's Timo Meier, center, scores his sides third goal past France's goalkeeper Antoine Keller during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Switzerland and France at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP)

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — The Olympic men's skeleton race begins Thursday, and all eyes at the start will be on Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych.

Will he or won't he?

It's the biggest question in sliding at the Milan Cortina Games.

Heraskevych plans to wear his banned helmet — a tribute to Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed during the war with Russia — in the race, despite the International Olympic Committee saying it violates its rules on political statements and isn't appropriate for competition.

If Heraskevych races with the helmet, he risks sanctions that could go as far as disqualification from the Olympics. And that would put the IOC in a difficult spot, because kicking an athlete out of the Games for paying tribute to those killed in a war would draw tons of criticism.

The IOC has sided with Heraskevych before. When he displayed a “No war in Ukraine” sign after his fourth and final run at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the IOC said he was simply calling for peace and did not find him in violation of the Olympic charter.

“We want him to compete. We really, really want him to have his moment,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Wednesday. “That’s very, very important. We want all athletes to have their moment and that’s the point. We want all our athletes to have a fair and level playing field.”

The first two runs of the race are Thursday, with the final two runs on Friday night. Heraskevych is a legitimate medal hopeful, and he's evidently willing to risk his chance at a medal for his tribute to those he considers heroes.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Ukraine's Yulianna Tunytska, Olena Stetskiv, Oleksandra Mokh, Nazarii Kachmar, Ihor Hoi and Andriy Mandziy kneel down during the luge relay competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his crash helmet as he stands outside the sliding center at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry leaves the start house of the sliding center at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

A scoreboard, that indicates that Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych did not start, is seen at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych arrives at the finish during a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Mykhailo Heraskevych, father of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, reacts as he sits next to the start house of the sliding center at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych talks to the media at the start house of the sliding center at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych holds up his crash helmet during a press conference following a skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Moore)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych starts for a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych starts for a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych starts for a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, left, talks to the media during a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)