Team Canada provides plenty of passion in latest Olympic win against France

MILAN -- Everything that Team Canada is and strives to be was on full display during its 10-2 win against Team France at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday.

There was 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini making history by becoming the first NHL player to score on a penalty shot in the Olympics. There were Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid putting on another clinic to seal the No. 1 seed in the elimination tournament for Canada. Fifteen players got on the score sheet, an indication of just how deep this team is.

But perhaps the most telling moment came in the third period, when Canada star forward Nathan MacKinnon took a high hit from Pierre Crinon with 8:38 left in the third period. Less than two minutes later, Tom Wilson, MacKinnon’s teammate for just these two weeks, went after Crinon, earning a fighting major and showing the world how tight this team is.

“It’s the Canadian way, it’s what we do,” defenseman Devon Toews said. “We stick up for each other. We’re passionate about hockey. We’re passionate about our team.”

They are also passionate about winning the gold medal and certainly looked like the favorites Sunday. Canada finished the preliminary round 3-0-0-0 and clinched the No. 1 seed after Team USA defeated Team Germany 5-1.

Celebrini, a San Jose Sharks center, had two goals and an assist, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists, Cale Makar and Wilson each had a goal and an assist and Toews, Bo Horvat and Brandon Hagel also scored.

Jordan Binnington made 12 saves to help Canada sweep the preliminary round and get a bye into the quarterfinals, which start Wednesday.

And the scary thing is, the players feel when Wednesday comes around there is another level they can reach.

“I think every game we’ve gotten better, just getting the systems down, getting more comfortable in our roles, in our lines and every game we’ll be better,” forward Sam Bennett said. “But I still think there’s more that we can bring and I’m sure we’re going to be able to bring it for the next game.”

Floran Douray and Sacha Treille scored for France, and Julian Junca made 27 saves through two periods before being relieved by Antoine Keller, who made nine saves. France went 0-0-3-0 in the preliminary round and will likely be the No. 11 seed when the qualification playoff between the bottom eight teams begins Tuesday.

“Would I have preferred a closer game? Yes. Would I have preferred a different final score than 10-2? Yes,” France captain Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said, “but in the end, we just played against the best nation in the world, and it was an honor to be on the ice with them.”

GAMECENTER SUMMARY: Canada-France

Canada clinched the Group A title on Saturday and put an exclamation point on it Sunday, scoring three times in the first period, three more in the second and four times in the third.

The highlight of that second period was Celebrini drawing the penalty shot and then scoring, not only making Olympic history, but becoming the first Canadian player to score on the penalty shot in the Games and third player in the six Olympics with NHL players (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2026).

Celebrini was awarded a penalty shot when he was hooked by Florian Chakiachvili on a breakaway. On the penalty shot, he took his time getting to Junca, then went forehand-backhand before lifting a soft forehand shot over the goalie’s blocker to make it 5-1.

“I had a chance there, and I was just happy that I got to redo it,” Celebrini said. “I don’t know. I wasn’t really thinking much. … I’ve been working on that move a little bit in practice, and thankfully it worked.”

It was 6-1 by the time the second period ended and 8-2 Canada when the fireworks started.

WATCH: Men's Hockey Highlights from the Olympic Winter Games

First, MacKinnon was drilled in the chin area by Crinon and was down on the ice for a few seconds. He wasn’t happy and admitted he was still mad about it on his next shift.

So was Wilson, who engaged with Crinon in front of the French net before punches started flying, earning each a game misconduct.

“I think when guys wear the same jersey as Tom, he’s going to play for you and it takes a special person to do that,” MacKinnon said.

MacKinnon, of course, does not wear the same jersey as Wilson during the NHL regular season. He plays for the Colorado Avalanche and Wilson, one of the most physical players in the NHL, is on the Washington Capitals. Sticking up for each other is what makes the Olympics so unique, Crosby said.

“That’s one of the special parts when you get opportunities like this,” Crosby said. “You see just how close the team gets, how guys come together and how much they understand as soon as you put this jersey on, regardless of where you played before or what’s happened in the past, you’re in it together.”

They may be even closer after Sunday, which could spell bad news for the rest of the gold-medal hopefuls here.

“That’s a big part of what we’re all about,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said. “These guys would go through a wall for each other, and it’s fun to watch.”

NOTES: McDavid has nine points (two goals, seven assists) at the 2026 Games, passing Jonathan Toews (eight in 2010) for the most by a Canada player at an Olympic tournament with NHL players. He also set the record for most points through the first three games of an Olympics with NHL players. … Crosby has 15 career points (six goals, nine assists) in the Olympics, passing Jarome Ignila (10 goals, four assists) for the most by a Canada player in Olympics involving NHL players. … The only other players to score on a penalty shot at an Olympics with NHL players are Team Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Koreshkov (Feb. 21, 2006) and Team Latvia’s Andrejs Maticins (Feb. 14, 2002). … Canada’s 10 goals were the second most by one team in a game in an Olympics with NHL players; the record was set Saturday in Team Finland’s 11-0 win against Team Italy.