MILAN (AP) — Hockey Canada had a lot of big decisions to make when choosing a roster and forming a lineup for the Olympics. Some of those were more hotly debated than others.
Canada has a long way to go, but the tournament favorite's 5-0 opening victory against Czechia on Thursday showed why management and the coaching staff went in some of the directions they did.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped all 26 shots he faced, 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini scored while playing on Connor McDavid's left wing on the top line, and bubble pick Bo Horvat also had a goal.
“Happy that we had different guys contribute,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “Binner played really well for us. We want to continue to get better in front of him, but he made some great saves. For Mack to score that first one there, first Olympics and that sort of thing, it was huge to get us going, and then that was a big goal from Bo.”
Binnington was in net when Canada won the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago. Even after struggling this season with the St. Louis Blues, it was never in doubt that Binnington was coach Jon Cooper's guy for the first game — for quite some time.
“Well, probably 358 days ago,” Cooper said. “Listen, in the end, you have to perform. This isn’t a loyalty thing ... but I have the utmost confidence in that kid. He’s proven it. Even when he’s had little stumbles, when pushes come to shove the kid’s been there for us.”
It's been decades since Crosby was known as “Sid the Kid” — he's now Canada's oldest player at 38 and Celebrini is the youngest. Bringing someone of his age was a risk, but being in the MVP conversation in the NHL with more than double the points of his next-closest San Jose Sharks teammate got him on the team ahead of more experienced players.
General manager Doug Armstrong told Celebrini he was on the radar since the fall of 2024, a few months after getting taken with the first pick in the draft. Celebrini then had Canada's first goal in Milan, tipping in a shot from two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar.
“My heart was racing,” Celebrini said. “I wanted to get out on the ice and start playing.”
Horvat had dreamed of playing in the Olympics since he was a kid. He didn't seem close to making the 4 Nations roster, and then a high-scoring start to this season with the New York Islanders made him a prime candidate.
Canada arguably has more playmakers than pure goal-scorers, and Horvat delivered in the opener by getting in all alone and beating Lukas Dostal. One of the thoughts darting through his head was disbelief about scoring a goal in the Olympics.
“Pretty special moment,” Horvat said. “I feel fortunate to be here. And to be playing and to get this opportunity. Just trying to make the most of it all.”
AP 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 Martin Necas, right, takes a shot at Canada's goalkeeper Jordan Binnington 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)
Canada's Bo Horvat shoots and scores his team's third goal past Czech Republic's Lukas Dostal, 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. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”
U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.
The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.
Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.
Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”
About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.
But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.
Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.
Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
