Team Canada smoked France on Sunday, winning 10-2 to finish pool play atop the standings. Macklin Celebrini scored twice for Canada, bringing his goal total to four in his first Olympics. After the 4 Nations Face-Off win last year, the Canadians have added Celebrini to their top-six to secure themselves as favorites. France's Pierre-Édouard Bellemare says Celebrini is making him glad about his career choices.
“He looks absolutely amazing. … I think he's 19 or whatever it is. Goddamn. It's good that I stopped (playing) in the NHL because if this is what it's gonna look like, it's better for me to not be in there anymore,” Bellemare told The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.
Celebrini is, in fact, 19 years old. He is fourth in the NHL in points and a surefire Hart Trophy candidate. Two years ago, he was playing for Boston University in the NCAA. But now, he is playing a top-six role for Team Canada in the Olympics.
Bellemare spent ten seasons in the NHL, including one with Team Canada coach Jon Cooper on the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a bottom-six checking forward, never scoring more than ten goals in a season. But with the French lacking deep NHL talent, he was added to the team for the 2026 Games. Seeing Celebrini for the first time made him glad he does not play in the States anymore.
Team Canada ends the round robin atop the standings thanks to an undefeated record with a +17 goal differential. They get a bye to the quarterfinals, with the winner of Czechia vs Denmark coming their way. Canada has not faced much adversity in the Olympics so far, with Celebrini's addition helping improve the offense.
Can Canada win their fourth Olympic Gold Medal since 2002? Or will someone come up and pull off the upset before the tournament is over?
