Czechs lose 5:0 to Canada in Olympic opener

The Czech men’s ice hockey team opened their Olympic campaign in Milan with a 5:0 loss to Canada.

Canadian forward Macklin Celebrini scored the first goal just six seconds before the end of the first period. Tournament favorites Canada extended their lead in the 27th minute through Mark Stone, before Bo Horvat raised the score to 3:0 minutes later with an impressive individual effort.

Canada also capitalized on a power play in the 48th minute, with Nathan MacKinnon adding another goal to seal a dominant performance against the Czech team.

The next opponents for coach Radim Rulík’s side in Group A will be France, who fell 4:0 to Switzerland earlier on Thursday.