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NHL 2026 Olympic Hockey Josh Morrissey appeared to be injured during the first period of Canada's men's hockey opener on Thursday. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Canada defenseman Josh Morrissey, who missed the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game with an illness, was unable to finish the team’s opening game of the Olympics against the Czech Republic on Thursday. It was unclear what exactly happened to Morrissey, but with just over a minute left in the first period, he appeared to inadvertently clip his left leg on the leg of Czech forward Martin Nečas while exiting the Canada zone. Morrissey returned for the second period but played only one shift before heading back to the Canadian dressing room and not returning. Team Canada sources confirmed to The Athletic’s Pierre Le Brun that Morrissey was ruled out. Advertisement With Olympic lineups allowing teams to dress seven defensemen, Morrissey was replaced on Canada’s second pair with Colton Parayko by Shea Theodore, who had been rotating in on the third pair with Drew Doughty and Thomas Harley in the first period. Canada has Travis Sanheim on the roster, and he would draw into the lineup if Morrissey is unable to play Friday night against Switzerland. Canada coach Jon Cooper did not provide an update on Morrissey’s status postgame. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Arpon Basu has been the editor-in-chief of The Athletic Montréal since 2017. Previously, he worked for the NHL for six years as managing editor of LNH. com and a contributing writer on NHL. com. Follow Arpon on Twitter @Arpon Basu