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Canada has started the tournament with unique lines.
The men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament is underway, and Team Canada got off to a strong start.
Team Canada defeated Czechia 5-0 on Thursday and will play Switzerland on Friday. In the opener, Canada decided to split up Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby on three separate lines as the centers.
It was a surprising decision by Jon Cooper and his staff, but Team Canada wanted to split up the talent and have four evenly skilled lines.
“I believe that was the goal, that was the plan,” Cooper said of splitting up the talent and getting everyone into the game. “You’re not sure how it’s going to work out. I thought everybody contributed in their own way.
“You need that. To me, in this tournament, you need depth. And if you can go four lines deep, and kind of push play in your favor, you give yourself that chance. I thought that happened tonight.”
Team Canada’s depth showed against Czechia, which was supposed to be the team’s toughest challenge in the group stage.
Now, Team Canada will play Switzerland on Friday before playing France to conclude the group stage on Sunday.
Team Canada’s Forward Lines Were ‘Humming’
Entering the tournament, all of Team Canada was bought in, as the goal for the team was to bring home a gold medal.
Although most players on the team are the top players on the NHL team, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel knew that whatever line someone plays on, they will embrace that role.
“Yeah, I mean, you got 14 superstars on one team, it doesn’t matter where you put them,” said Hagel. “You’re very fortunate to play on whatever line when you go out there. Every line has a chance. Just like you saw tonight. It was great.”
Team Canada forward Bo Horvat, meanwhile, also agreed and felt like all 13 forwards were humming and contributing.
“Yeah, for sure. All four lines were humming tonight,” said Horvat. “All throughout our lineup, everyone was going, everyone was contributing. That’s what we were looking for. We weren’t backing down, we weren’t letting off the gas. I thought overall it was a really good team game. They’re a good opponent, they played us hard, it feels good getting the win.”
Canada is favored to win the gold medal at -105 odds.
Canada Will do Anything to Win Olympic Gold
The 2026 Winter Olympics were the first time NHLers were allowed to play in the Olympics since 2014.
So, ahead of Canada’s first game, McDavid said he and everyone will do whatever it takes to win.
“You know what, when guys pull their country’s jersey on, it’s a bolt of energy that goes through you,” McDavid said. “Just trying to contribute any way I can. We want to be a hard forechecking team and it’s my chance to contribute to that. …
“It was special. It was special to go out there and play and pull this jersey on. A pretty wild environment. Very, very cool to be a part of. Happy to get the first one under our belt.”
Team Canada will play Switzerland on Feb. 13 at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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