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Canada’s men’s ice hockey team enters the 2026 Winter Olympics with something to prove.

The Canadians have not played in the men’s gold medal hockey match in each of the last two Olympics, which is something that hasn’t happened since the 1980s. As both those Olympics didn’t feature NHL players, the professionals appearing in this year’s event are playing with a chip on their shoulders.

Canada is coming off a win in the Four Nations Face-Off last year, and the team will feature many of the NHL’s best players. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby are just a few of the big names who will look to bring gold back to their country.

STREAM: Watch Canada vs. Czechia live with Peacock

First up for Canada is Czechia, who is hoping to pull off a big upset to open their tournament. Czechia’s team will feature a solid group of NHL players, headlined by David Pastrnak, Martin Necas and Tomas Hertl, all of whom have big game experience.

Of course, Canada is the favorite in Group A, but Czechia represents the best chance of any team to unseat them at the top. Therefore, the first match of the tournament is a big one for both sides.

The Sporting News is tracking live scores, updates and highlights from the 2026 Olympic men’s hockey game between Canada and Czechia. Follow along for updates.

MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer’s guide | Day-by-day schedule

Canada vs. Czechia hockey score

  1 2 3 F
Canada 1      
Czechia 0      

Canada vs. Czechia live updates, highlights from 2026 Olympic men’s hockey game

End of first period: Canada 1, Czechia 0

11:16 a.m.: GOAL! Macklin Celebrini deflects a Cale Makar shot into the net with just five seconds left in the period for the first goal of the game.   

11:06 a.m.: A couple good chances for Bo Horvat and Brad Marchand, but neither are able to finish. On the other end, Martin Necas gets a great look but Jordan Binnington makes the save.

10:59 a.m.: Canada kills the penalty as Czechia can’t take advantage, keeping the game scoreless.

10:56 a.m.: A Canada goal is wiped off as Nick Suzuki is called for tripping right before the puck went in. Czechia heads to the power play instead.

10:52 a.m.: Canada leads the shots 6-2 early, but neither side has buried one as we hit a break,

10:48 a.m.: Lukas Dostal keeps Canada off the board with a few big saves as the power play expires.

10:43 a.m.: Czechia is called for an early penalty, sending Canada to the power play just a few minutes in.

10:40 a.m.: Here we go from Italy, as Canada controls play early after the puck drop.

10:34 a.m.: We are about to get underway from Italy as Canada will begin its quest to Olympic gold.

10:06 a.m.: Czechia will likely trust it’s first line of David Pastrnak-Tomas Hertl-Martin Necas a lot in this game. Lukas Dostal will also start in net for the Czechs.

9:55 a.m.: It looks like Connor McDavid will play with Macklin Celebrini and Tom Wilson in the first game. Here’s a look at the full Canada lines.

9:37 a.m.: Here’s the full list of scratches for this morning’s game, as Jarvis and Sanheim will sit out today.

9:10 a.m.: It appears Canada will start Jordan Binnington in net while Seth Jarvis, Travis Sanheim and Darcy Kuemper are all scratched, but the full lines will come out soon.

How to watch Canada vs. Czechia

Canada vs. Czechia start time

  • Date: Thursday, Feb. 12
  • Time: 10:40 a.m. ET

Canada will open its 2026 Olympics against Czechia on February 12 at 10:40 a.m. ET from the Milano Santagiulia IHO arena.

What channel is Canada vs. Czechia on?

  • TV Channel: USA (United States), CBC (Canada)
  • Live Stream: Peacock (United States), CBC Gem (Canada)

The Canada vs. Czechia preliminary round matchup will be broadcasted on CBC in Canada and USA in the United States. The game will also be live streamed on CBC Gem in Canada and Peacock in the United States.

Olympic men’s hockey schedule 2026

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Group Matchup Time (ET)
Group B Slovakia vs. Finland 10:40 a.m.
Group B Sweden vs. Italy 3:10 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 12

Group Matchup Time (ET)
Group A Switzerland vs. France 6:10 a.m.
Group A Czechia vs. Canada 10:40 a.m.
Group C Latvia vs. United States 3:10 p.m.
Group C Germany vs. Denmark 3:10 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 13

Group Matchup Time (ET)
Group B Finland vs. Sweden 6:10 a.m.
Group B Italy vs. Slovakia 6:10 a.m.
Group A France vs. Czechia 10:40 a.m.
Group A Canada vs. Switzerland 3:10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

Group Matchup Time (ET)
Group B Sweden vs. Slovakia 6:10 a.m.
Group C Germany vs. Latvia 6:10 a.m.
Group B Finland vs. Italy 10:40 a.m.
Group C United States vs. Denmark 3:10 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15

Group Matchup Time (ET)
Group A Switzerland vs. Czechia 6:10 a.m.
Group A Canada vs. France 10:40 a.m.
Group C United States vs. Germany 3:10 p.m.
Group C Denmark vs. Latvia 3:10 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 17

Round Matchup Time (ET)
Playoffs TBD vs. TBD 6:10 a.m.
Playoffs TBD vs. TBD 6:10 a.m.
Playoffs TBD vs. TBD 10:40 a.m.
Playoffs TBD vs. TBD 3:10 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

Round Matchup Time (ET)
Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 6:10 a.m.
Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 10:40 a.m.
Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 12:10 p.m.
Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 3:10 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

Round Matchup Time (ET)
Semifinals TBD vs. TBD 10:40 a.m.
Semifinals TBD vs. TBD 3:10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21

Round Matchup Time (ET)
Bronze medal game TBD vs. TBD 2:40 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22

Round Matchup Time (ET)
Gold medal game TBD vs. TBD 8:10 a.m.
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