Olympic Hockey: Canada send ominous warning as teenager sparks rout
The 19-year-old became the story of the night, deflecting a Cale Makar drive past Lukas Dostal with just 5.7 seconds remaining in the first period.
It provided the spark for a Canadian side laden with NHL superstars to demonstrate exactly why they are the overwhelming tournament favourites.
Binnington shuts the door
While the offensive firepower grabbed the headlines, Jordan Binnington was flawless between the pipes.
The St Louis Blues netminder stopped all 26 shots he faced to record a shutout in his Olympic debut.
His contribution was vital early on, denying Michal Kempny with a pad save and smothering a rebound from David Kampf while the game remained scoreless.
Once the deadlock was broken, the North American giants ruthlessly overwhelmed their European opponents.
Superstars combine in style
Mitch Marner set up Mark Stone with a sublime saucer pass in the second period to double the advantage.
Bo Horvat then effectively ended the contest as a spectacle, converting a clinical breakaway opportunity moments later.
The moment hockey fans had waited years to witness arrived in the third period with a goal of breathtaking quality.
Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid combined with telepathic understanding to set up Nathan MacKinnon for a power-play strike that left the Czech defence helpless.
McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers captain, finished the night with three assists after setting up Nick Suzuki for the fifth and final goal.
Swiss start strong
Elsewhere in the group, Switzerland produced a mature performance to dismiss France 4-0.
New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier netted twice in the third period to put the result beyond doubt after early goals from Damien Riat and JJ Moser.
Leonardo Genoni, the 39-year-old veteran goaltender, turned aside 27 shots to mirror Binnington’s shutout achievement.
Genoni said:
It is a perfect start for us. We had a really, really good start into the game and could shut the door behind.