Canada’s men’s hockey team secured a dominant 10-2 victory over France on Sunday at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, solidifying their position as a top contender in the tournament. The win, characterized by a broad offensive display, all but guarantees Canada the top seed in the knockout stage.
The Canadian offense proved overwhelming, with ten different players contributing goals. Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft, scored twice, while captain Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Mark Stone each registered a goal and two assists. Tom Wilson, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and others also found the back of the net for Canada. Jordan Binnington faced minimal pressure in goal for the Canadians.
Crosby’s performance was particularly noteworthy, as he broke the Canadian record for most points in Olympic games featuring NHL players. The milestone added another layer of significance to Canada’s commanding win. McDavid also continued his impressive tournament performance, adding a goal and two assists to bring his total to nine points.
France managed two goals, with Justin Addamo recording assists on both. Despite the lopsided score, the French team demonstrated early resilience, but were ultimately unable to withstand Canada’s sustained offensive pressure. France will finish group play with an 0-3 record, tied with Italy, but will win the tiebreaker and be seeded 11th.
The game saw a period of increased physicality late in the second period, resulting in penalties to both MacKinnon of Canada and Crinon of France. Canada capitalized on one power play opportunity, extending their lead. The Canadians converted 2 of their power play chances, while also scoring one shorthanded goal.
Canada’s decisive victory means they will receive a bye to the quarterfinal round. They will have two days off before their next game on Wednesday. The United States must now defeat Germany by a margin of ten goals to surpass Canada for the top seed. The final standings for the group stage will be determined by the outcome of the USA-Germany match.
The game was played before a crowd of 11,498 spectators. Swedish referee Holm officiated the game, assisted by Rehman and linesmen Daisy and Hynek.
