Michal Kempny is participating in the Olympics for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n
Friday, the 35-year-old defenseman walked with Czechia in the Games\u2019 Opening Ceremony held at Milan\u2019s San Siro Stadium.<\/p>\n
Kempny, a member of the Washington Capitals\u2019 2018 Stanley Cup championship team, is one of three former Caps on the Czech roster<\/a>, joining fellow rearguards Radko Gudas<\/a> and Tomas Kundratek.<\/p>\n Kempny posted several videos to his Instagram Story of the athletes\u2019 picturesque jaunt around the stadium, which featured the Olympic rings hanging above. Kundratek was beside him in one of the videos.<\/p>\n Czechia was led around the stadium by their flag bearers, Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrnak<\/a>, and biathlete Lucie Charv\u00e1tov\u00e1.<\/p>\n Pastrnak took a selfie with all of the athletes behind him before they were introduced to the crowd. Kempny can be seen standing to the top left, near the very back of the group.<\/p>\n While most international players made it on time for the Opening Ceremony, many NHL players missed the event and arrived on Sunday. Notable players to arrive on time and participate included Leon Draisaitl<\/a> (Germany) and Nino Niederreiter<\/a> (Switzerland), who were flag bearers for their country. Other players to march included Charlie McAvoy<\/a>, Zach Werenski<\/a>, Jake Oettinger<\/a>, Jeremy Swayman<\/a>, Nico Hischier<\/a>, Timo Meier<\/a>, and Jonas Siegenthaler<\/a>. <\/p>\n