19-year-old Macklin Celebrini celebrates scoring the Canadian men's first goal of the Olympics.GEOFF BURKE/Reuters
When general manager Doug Armstrong described last fall how he and Team Canada’s coaches were selecting the Olympic roster, he went out of his way to emphasize one point: “There is no age limit. You don’t have to be a certain age to make this team.”
He was talking about Macklin Celebrini, the 19-year-old San Jose Shark who took the NHL by storm in his rookie season last year. If Celebrini kept trending upward, Armstrong said, he would be in strong consideration for Team Canada.
Canada blanks Finland 5-0 in Olympic women’s hockey
Since then, all Celebrini has done is romp his way through the NHL as a sophomore, racking up 81 points in 55 games, landing a spot on Team Canada and installing himself as Connor McDavid’s winger in Milan.
On Thursday, Celebrini showed exactly why – opening the scoring for Team Canada at the Olympics in a 5-0 win against Czechia.
With seconds remaining in the first period, Celebrini tipped a Cale Makar point shot past the outstretched arm of Czech goaltender Lukas Dostal for Canada’s first goal of the tournament.
Celebrini opened scoring in the dying seconds of the first period.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
It is the first best-on-best Olympics with NHL players since the 2014 Winter Games. It is McDavid’s first shot at a gold medal, and Sidney Crosby’s bid for a third. It is also a chance for Celebrini to emerge as an heir apparent to both of them, on the biggest stage of his life.
He’s not the youngest player to debut for Team Canada; that distinction goes to Kirk Muller, who was 18 when he played at the 1984 Sarajevo Games. But that was before Olympic rosters were stacked with NHL talent.
That Celebrini was able to work himself onto the roster in Milan, and command a key role in Thursday’s opening game is a testament to the player Team Canada expects him to become.
How a speech about ‘small moments’ may impact Canada’s hockey fate at the Olympics
After impressing Armstrong and head coach Jon Cooper with a strong performance at last year’s world championship, playing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, Celebrini was invited by Crosby to the Halifax area this summer to train with both of them. But it was no casual invite to a friendly skate.
Brad Crossley, a local hockey coach who ran the on-ice workouts, told The Globe and Mail that Celebrini was summoned by both players with the intention of bringing him into the fold for Milan.
“I don’t know whether it’s Sid and Nate putting together rosters, or how it works, but Celebrini came down here for a purpose,” Crossley said.
They were intense workouts, Celebrini said later, admitting that he was in awe of Crosby in particular.
Sidney Crosby tries a wrap-around on Lukas Dostal during the third period.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
For his part, Crosby has marvelled at Celebrini’s poise at 19.
“I think he’s an incredible player. His all-round game at his age is pretty impressive. He’s committed defensively. He competes hard, he’s got a pretty mature game for his age,” Crosby said prior to the Olympics. “He’s earned the right to be in the conversation.”
Thursday’s game promised to be a physical affair from the start. During warm-ups, power forward Tom Wilson skated up and down the centre-ice line looking over menacingly at the Czech team. Wilson, one of the NHL’s more intimidating wingers as a member of the Washington Capitals, who boasts a mix of strength and speed, was installed on McDavid’s other flank, with the expectation he would be the line’s physical presence.
'Big-game player’ Jordan Binnington back in the spotlight for Team Canada
But it was McDavid who laid the game’s first big hit, driving Czech forward Lucas Sedlak into the end boards on a forecheck about two minutes into the game. The hit prompted a roar from the sold-out crowd of about 12,000 people in Milan, which appeared to be evenly spit between Czech and Canadian fans.
After Celebrini’s goal put Canada up 1-0 at the end of the first period, Mark Stone extended the lead about midway through the second frame. Mitch Marner curled off the boards and lifted a backhand pass over sprawling Czech defenceman David Spacek, giving Stone a wide-open net.
Horvat scored a highlight-reel goal to make it 3-0 in the second.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Bo Horvat put Canada up 3-0 late in the second period when he took a pass from Brad Marchand at centre ice and split two Czech defenders before slipping a backhand low through Dostal’s legs.
MacKinnon made it 4-0 on a power play midway through the third period, taking a feed through the crease from McDavid. Nick Suzuki made it 5-0 late in the third, with assists from McDavid and Thomas Harley.
Canada suffered a key injury on defence when Josh Morrissey left the game and did not return. It is unclear how serious the injury is, and if it will keep Morrissey out of future games.
If Morrissey is unable to return, Philadelphia Flyer Travis Sanheim would take his place. Canada cannot add a new player to its roster now that lineups have been set.
Stone, Binnington and Colton Parayko celebrate the win.Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
With rosters full of NHL players, the game – to no surprise – had a distinctly NHL feel, with both teams playing tight defence, and shots divided somewhat evenly. However, the pace of play was visibly faster than an NHL game, something Canada’s coaches and players expected after last year’s 4 Nation’s Face-Off resulted in an intense, uptempo affair.
Coach Jon Cooper's unlikely journey to Olympic men's hockey reaches its moment of truth
Canada won that tournament in overtime against the United States, in part because of the heroics of goaltender Jordan Binnington. On Thursday, Canadian coach Cooper went back to Binnington to start the Olympics, saying the St. Louis Blues netminder proved a year ago that he thrives in big moments.
“On the biggest stage, at the biggest moment, at the biggest time, he delivered. And we’ve seen that before,” Cooper said Wednesday. “He’s got the ‘it factor,’ and he delivered when we needed him most.”
Canada plays its second game Friday against Switzerland. With games on back-to-back days, Cooper indicated this week he would likely start Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals, who dressed as Canada’s backup against Czechia, in the second game against the Swiss.
Follow our live daily coverage of the Winter Games