The men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics moves into the quarterfinals on Wednesday. And one of the marquee matchups will pit Canada against Czechia. Canada enters as the top seed, while Czechia punched its ticket with a tight 3-2 win over Denmark.
Now, veteran Czech defenseman Radko Gudas is making it clear just how tough the challenge will be, especially with Connor McDavid on the other side.
Radko Gudas Lays It Out Before Facing Connor McDavid
McDavid has been dominant in this tournament. Through three games, the Oilers captain has piled up 9 points, 2 goals, and 7 assists, leading the entire field. He recorded three points in each of Canada’s preliminary games. A 5-0 win over Czechia, a 5-1 victory against Switzerland, and a 10-2 blowout of France.
McDavid became the first player in NHL-Olympic history to record three straight three-point games, set a new Canadian single-tournament points record, and now sits just two points shy of Teemu Selanne’s Olympic mark of 11.
So how do you stop him?
Gudas had a lighthearted but honest answer. He joked that he might have to ask Canada’s coach not to play McDavid. Realistically, “Just try to be in the middle of the ice as much as possible & don’t give him speed. Try to clog the middle … It’s going to be really hard,” he admitted.
Czechia already experienced McDavid’s impact firsthand in the preliminary round loss to Canada. But this is win-or-go-home hockey now, and the mindset inside the Czech locker room is different.
Forward Martin Necas said this is the kind of moment players dream about their entire careers. “We’ve been waiting for this moment our whole career … We’re going to be super pumped up because it doesn’t get much better than that. It would be different if it’s a playoff series. This is one game & we’re going to give it our best,” Necas said.
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David Pastrnak echoed that sentiment, “It might be the best team ever, so maybe we have to put the respect aside a little bit and try to take their game to them,” he said.
There’s also history in this matchup. It will mark the first Canada-Czechia men’s Olympic playoff game featuring NHL players since 1998, when Czechia stunned Canada 2-1 in the semifinals. Canada enters as the tournament’s top seed and heavy favorite, but Czechia believes it has a puncher’s chance.
