Published on Feb. 20, 2026
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Canada cruised to a 6-1 victory over Czechia in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics hockey tournament in Milan, Italy. The Canadians, led by star center Connor McDavid’s 2 goals and 1 assist, have now outscored their opponents 25-6 through four games in the tournament. Goaltender Jordan Binnington made 26 saves for Canada, while Lukas Dostal stopped 29 shots for Czechia.
Why it matters
Canada, the gold medal favorites, continued their dominant run through the Olympics with another convincing win over Czechia. The victory sets up a semifinal matchup with the winner of the Russia vs. Sweden quarterfinal game. Czechia’s loss ends their tournament, but the team can be proud of reaching the quarterfinals after upsetting Denmark in the previous round.
The details
Canada jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back, scoring twice more in the second period and twice more in the third to cruise to the 6-1 win. In addition to McDavid’s big game, Macklin Celebrini scored his fifth goal of the tournament for Canada. For Czechia, Martin Necas scored their lone goal, his fourth of the Olympics. Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington was solid in net, stopping 26 of 27 shots, while Lukas Dostal made 29 saves for Czechia.
The game was played on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 10:40 a.m. ET.Canada defeated Czechia 5-0 in the opening round of the tournament on February 16.
The players
Connor McDavid
The star center for Canada, McDavid leads all Olympic players with 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) through 4 games.
Macklin Celebrini
The Canadian forward is tied for the Olympic lead with 4 goals scored.
Martin Necas
The Czech center has 4 goals in 4 games, including the lone goal in this quarterfinal loss.
Jordan Binnington
The Canadian goaltender stopped 26 of 27 shots in the win, improving to 3-0 in the tournament.
Lukas Dostal
The Czech goaltender made 29 saves but was unable to keep up with Canada’s offensive onslaught.
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What they’re saying
“We knew Czechia would give us a tough game, but our guys really stepped up and played a complete 60 minutes. This was a big win to reach the semifinals.”
— Mike Sullivan, Head Coach, Team Canada (Team Canada Press Release)
“It’s disappointing to have our tournament end here, but I’m proud of how our team competed against the powerhouse Canadians. We gave it our all out there.”
— Ales Hemsky, Captain, Team Czechia (Czech Olympic Committee)
What’s next
Canada will face the winner of the Russia vs. Sweden quarterfinal in the semifinals on Friday, February 20th at 9:00 a.m. ET.
The takeaway
Canada has firmly established itself as the team to beat in the 2026 Olympic hockey tournament, dominating its opponents with a deep, talented roster led by superstar Connor McDavid. Czechia’s tournament run ends, but the team can be proud of its upset of Denmark to reach the quarterfinals.