Team Canada was flawless in its opening game of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday, shutting out Czechia 5–0 at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Oilers star Connor McDavid was the best player on the ice during Thursday’s game, ending the night with a team-high three points. It wasn’t just offensively where he was making his presence felt, however. McDavid was playing with fire in his eyes, and he delivered one of the highlights of the game while chasing after a loose puck.
The puck was loose along the boards behind Czechia’s goal and multiple players were in pursuit of it. McDavid could be seen flying in and laying out a devastating body check onto Lukas Sedlak, who was toppled over onto his back.
Have a look:
McDavid just sent a MF to the shadowrealm 😭 pic.twitter.com/QLBxTg90R9
— William Dubé (@williamdube_) February 12, 2026
That certainly isn’t the type of play McDavid would typically make in an NHL setting. But when representing his country, he didn’t hesitate for even a second before throwing the gargantuan hit. Team Canada put McDavid on a line with one of the NHL’s biggest enforcers, Tom Wilson, but it was No. 97 who was on the delivering end of the game’s most jaw-dropping hit.
McDavid set the tone early for Canada with his aggressive play along the boards, and the team didn’t take its foot off the gas throughout the 60 minutes against Czechia, securing a statement win in its first game in Milan.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Connor McDavid Delivered Massive Hit on Czechia Player During Canada's Olympic Opener.
