Canada closed out the preliminary round of the men’s hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Olympics in emphatic fashion, defeating France 10–2 to remain unbeaten. The Canadians finished Group A with a flawless 3–0 record and now await their quarterfinal opponent following Tuesday’s qualification playoff round.
Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Mark Stone each recorded a goal and two assists in a commanding offensive display. Rookie standout Macklin Celebrini added two goals and an assist, while Cale Makar and Tom Wilson chipped in with a goal and an assist apiece. Devon Toews, Bo Horvat and Brandon Hagel also found the back of the net as Canada overwhelmed France from start to finish.
McDavid’s performance pushed his Olympic debut tally to nine points through three games, placing him within reach of the single tournament points record for NHL participants, currently shared by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu with 11, set in 2006. Goaltender Jordan Binnington faced little pressure, turning aside just 11 shots as Canada maintained control for most of the contest.
France briefly responded after Canada opened the scoring, capitalizing on a turnover to tie the game early in the first period. However, Canada quickly regained momentum and never looked back. Stone’s short handed goal in the dying seconds of the opening frame extended the lead, and the Canadians added three more goals in a dominant second period that saw France muster only a single shot.
The physical tone escalated in the third period when Wilson was ejected following a fight with Pierre Crinon after a high forearm to Nathan MacKinnon. Despite the altercation, Canada continued its offensive surge, finishing with a plus 17 goal differential across three preliminary games. Earlier wins over Czechia and Switzerland secured the top seed in Group A, positioning Canada as a clear contender as the knockout stage begins.
